Between purple and red
by Writing is Necessary
Summary: Kaoru(OC) is a Suna Jonin that is physically abused in her private life. Can a sudden trip to Konoha change that? Will a certain dog lover be her escape from hell, or will it be the Kazekage's brother? It contains violence.
1. The Mission

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto or any Naruto character.

**Warnings: **This story will contain physical and verbal abuse. Sexual themes and strong language.

**Pairings:** KankuroxOC; KibaxOC; hints of ShikamaruxTemari

**Summary: **Kaoru(OC) is a Suna Jonin that is physically abused in her private life. Can a sudden trip to Konoha change that? Will a certain dog lover be her escape from hell, or will it be the Kazekage's brother?

**Author's Notes: **This was the first fanfiction I ever wrote. I corrected some mistakes, and add some paragraphs. I didn't change the plot or anything besides grammar. I apologize if there's still some mistakes. English is not my main language, and I have no beta.

In future chapters, this story will contain lemon, which I'm not putting them here on . If you want to read the lemons, check my LiveJournal at my profile. I will tell you about them in their respective chapters.

I hope you enjoy =)

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><p><strong>Between Purple and Red<strong>

Chapter 1 – _**The Mission**_

It was early in the morning, the sunrise had begun a few minutes ago. It was the best time of the day in Sunagakure. Where people could feel the warm sun, but still feel the cool breeze from the night. That is why the purple haired girl stood in the middle of the empty street.

Just to enjoy that moment.

The cold wind made her back shiver. The newest scar was added to the collection the earlier night. Her back was painfully wrapped in bandages. But all hidden by the typical Sand nin uniform. The pain was there, but her face stayed normal. Not emotionless, not happy or sad. Simply normal.

Kurokaze Kaoru was a 16-year-old kunoichi recently nominated Jonin. She had a long royal purple hair that ended up at her waist, it was perfectly straight. Her blue eyes stood out with the purple longs bangs framing her face. In her forehead of course, she _proudly_ wore her Sunagakure forehead protector.

Kaoru had received a message to see the Kazekage. She knew it would be a mission.

Being a Jonin somehow got her life better, better payment, long time out of home and more recognition from her family... _Bullshit._ This is what she told to the other shinobis. In reality becoming a Jonin got her life even worse that it was before. All the money she earned, her father took from her; being long time out of home was good, until she got back at home and she would be punished even f it wasn't her fault she was in a mission; and being recognized by her family... it was just simply a lie, a lie that she knew it would never true.

Kaoru sighed, and started to walk towards the Kazekage's mansion. Within 10 minutes she stood in front of the Kazekage's office. She knocked, and heard the monotone voice saying "Come in". She entered and closed the door and bowed to greet her Leader.

"Good morning, Kazekage-sama." Kaoru lifted her head and glared the other person in the room.

"Kankuro-dono," she coldly greeted. Kankuro raised a brow confused, then suddenly a thought came to his mind, but before saying anything to his brother, Gaara spoke.

"Kaoru-san, I have a mission for you. It's a A-rank mission and it's a very important one."

"Gaara, no way. Not her, she's freakin' annoying, I can handle the mission by myself!" Kankuro burst.

_'Annoying?' _Kaoru thought. She gave Kankuro a deathly glare, that if it could it would kill him for sure. The puppet master had pushed his limits this time. There was a limit to decensy; even between them.

"Kankuro watch your tone. Konoha requested for a shinobi good in sealing and chackra control. She is the best we have in that field," Gaara said.

_'Konoha?'_

"Then send Temari instead of me!" Kankuro continued mad.

"Temari is going to be busy with another mission. Kankuro _you_ will do this with Kaoru-san. Kaoru-san," Gaara turned his head to her, "as you may now understand. You will go with Kankuro to Konoha, and you will assist the Hokage with the mission."

"What is the mission, Kazekage-sama?" she asked.

"The Hokage will tell you what to do once you get there. The mission is a sensitive matter, and it is confidential. Only you two, myself and the Hokage will know about it. You will stay there for a month, even more if the Hokage requests so," Gaara replied.

'_One month? Father will be mad'._ Kaoru's heart ache, she had a bad feeling about this.

"Do you have something in your mind?" Gaara asked after seeing her face gloom.

"No, Kazekage-sama," Kaoru said returning to her perfect poker face.

"Then go pack, you will leave as soon as you're ready," the redhead gave Kankuro the mission scroll, and a letter to the Hokage. After a final bow to her leader, Kaoru left the office followed by Kankuro. They were silent until they left the building.

"Gaara is..." Kankuro mumbled lowly.

"What?" Kaoru asked.

"I said Gaara is crazy for putting me and you in this mission... together," Kankuro grumbled.

"Kankuro-dono... You... You are a bastard," she said punching his arm, and losing her calm nature. That boy was the only one that could get into her nerves so easily.

"What the hell?" he said pressing his hand against his arm, faking that the pain was much worse than it really was. "You're a crazy girl, this is why I didn't want to be in this with you!"

"And you are a stupid boy, what is with you telling the Kazekage that I am annoying?" Kaoru asked with the same angry tone.

"He's my brother I can say what hell I want to!" they both glared each other with hate.

"Just go home and pack, I'll be at the gate in an hour."

Kankuro started to walk inside of the building again, then paused and looked back. Kaoru was still there, she was looking at the ground thoughtfully and sadly? Kankuro frowned. Then he intentionally coughed to catch her attention. She looked at him and with a final glare she left.

**0000000000**

Kaoru gave a big breath before entering the house. She had thought of numerous possibilities to escape her father's wrath. This wasn't going to be easy.

She walked in and went to the kitchen where her father was sitting reading the newspaper. Her stepmother was making breakfast.

"Good morning father. Good morning Kyo-san," she bowed.

"Where were you?" her father asked. He had a brownish blonde hair perfectly combed. His blue eyes, the ones she inherited, looked coldly at her.

"Kazekage-sama has a mission for me." Kaoru waited for some kind of response, but of course nothing came from that person she called father, she continued "It is in Konohagakure no sato."

He raised an eyebrow. Her heartbeat started to pound fast and loud.

"How long?" he asked with an even colder voice. Kaoru swallowed painfully and looked down. Her voice was almost a whisper. "One month."

"Refuse it," he ordered.

"I cannot, it is a special mission. Even the Kazekage's brother is going." Her father stood up and she unconsciously took a step back.

"T-the payment will be good." she said. He stared at her.

"Fine," he said sitting back again.

"I will leave in less than an hour." He ignored her. Kyo didn't said anything, like always. In fact it was like she wasn't able to see Kaoru.

"Father." he sighed and looked at her again "I will need money."

That was it, she spilled it out... But for her own surprised her father didn't got mad. In fact, he smirked.

"Sure," he said. She lightly smiled.

"Thank you father." she bowed and went to her room relieved.

She prepared her backpack with everything she needed. Her father wasn't mad at her after all; when she was about to zip the bag, she screamed in pain. Her father's breath in the back of her neck made her feel sick.

He laughed.

"There's your money," he said throwing some bills and coins to the floor. Then he left the room. Kaoru tried to understand what happened to her back until she felt the handle of a small dagger, she pulled the knife out of her back, she hissed in pain, biting her lip to contain a scream. That demon stabbed her right above the kidney. The wound wasn't too deep to the point of hitting the organ, but it hurt really bad, and it made impossible for her to travel.

But she had to... She had to go and do the mission... She had to earn that money... She had to leave her house!

Kaoru took off her slightly bloody vest, and her shirt along with the long gloves that covered her fingers. Her hands and arms were covered by seals. She put her hand in her wound trying to stop the bleeding. The bandages she already had were now covered in red. _Thankfully,_ her father didn't hit her in the previous wounds.

Kaoru treated her injury and wrapped herself in new bandages. Then put the rest of the bandages in her bag. She dressed a clean black shirt and went to the bathroom sink to clean the blood from her Jonin vest. Every step she took it was like she was receiving another stab She had no idea how could she hold on in journey to another country for three days... Tears fell from her eyes.

The red stain in her vest, didn't want to come off easily, but she insisted and soon, thanks to the cold water, the stain faded away.

Kaoru looked at herself in the mirror and inhaled and exhaled deeply. She needed to put herself together. No one could ever find about this. It would be humiliating. She prepared herself to look perfect. Perfectly clothed, and perfect hair. The tears were now dried, the poker face hiding the pain and shame.

She knelt picking up the money her father gave, and she almost burst into tears again. He gave her enough for only a few days. Kaoru knew that in Konoha they would not pay for the room they would stay, but still she would need to eat...

She put the money in her wallet and left the room with her back pack in her shoulder in opposite side of her recently wounded side.

"I'm going to leave, father. Goodbye," she said.

A grunt was his response. She turned her back and faced the door.

"Put your backpack how it should be. You look like a cheap hooker like that, don't blow my image with your incompetence." Kaoru did how she was told, and tried not to whine in pain feeling the pressure in her wound. Her whole back was now in an unbearable distress. But she didn't reacted to it, like always. She wouldn't give her father the pleasure of hearing her suffering.

"Go, you useless piece of shit."

She opened the door and left. With any other family, a daughter wouldn't bear hearing such words, but they meant nothing to her. Like she meant nothing to her father, he was a simple shell of the devil for her. Those words meant nothing at all...

She walked the street calmly and after turning the to the gate, she took off her back pack. Kaoru wanted to scream in pain but she couldn't, the streets were now starting to crowd, it would be embarrassing, and people would ask questions, especially the shinobis patrolling. She pulled the bag in her shoulder and went to Suna's entrance trying not to cry again, holding back the tears.

A dark shadow appeared in front of her.

"You're late freak."

"Whatever. And you are the freak," Kaoru replied. Kankuro noticed the weak answer.

"What's up with you? You look pale," he said.

"Nothing, let's go," they both left Suna.

**0000000000**

Kankuro ran fast in the desert, that was a fact. Running in sand was not as simple as running in other types of ground. Even in shinobi speed, running in sand was slower that normal, and consequentially tired people faster. But not for the puppeteer. He ran like hell in sand, and those that couldn't keep up with him were doomed to be hated by the Kazekage's brother.

Kaoru was slowing down, not because of the sand, but because she was in pain. Not only that but she was feeling weak, because of the blood loss. Kankuro sighed in annoyance, and looked back to yell at the girl, but then he saw something very amusing.

Kaoru was running but only placing her feet, in the footprints left by Kankuro. He smirked evilly, he loved to tease the girl's strange habits. He started to run in S shapes and she kept doing the same thing without realizing what he was doing. Then Kankuro noticed something else, her mouth was mumbling things. Kaoru was counting the footsteps. Kankuro ran and in between steps he didn't put one foot on the floor. He looked back watching Kaoru reaching the _footless_ sand, and as he thought she stopped.

Not only that but she started to panick. He stopped running too, and laughed loudly. Mocking her.

"That was priceless! You are so pathetic, Kaoru," Kankuro said still laughing.

"You demented prick!" she went after him to punch him, he starter to ran away from her, when she stopped almost falling. A high pitch of pain took over her back. She breathed slowly a couple of times, in and out. And put her self together. A frowning face was staring at her.

"What?" she yelled at the older Jonin.

"Don't yell at me bitch" Kankuro replied also yelling.

"Then do not stare at me like that! Go put some more make-up you little girl" Kaoru said, trying to hide her pain face the best she could.

"It's not makeup, ignorant!"

"Whatever."

They both kept going, running full-speed ahead. Kaoru tried not to pass out a couple of times. They reached the Wind Forest in a day, and soon it was night.

"We should stop here," Kankuro said putting his scrolls down against a tree. Kaoru didn't replied but took off her bag as well and placed it against the opposite tree. She sat down and hissed.

"What was that?" asked Kankuro while doing something with his scrolls.

"Nothing," she could feel blood dripping in her skin, from the back of her waist to her pants.

"Then don't make so much noise, last thing I want is to be found by some stupid rogue shinobis," Kankuro continued doing whatever he was doing when he saw Kaoru standing up. "Where are you going?"

"I have to... pee." Kaoru lied. She had to change her bandages. She went to the farthest and biggest tree possible and jumped to the higher branch. She could see Kankuro from there, but Kankuro wouldn't be able to see her with all the darkness provided by the trees.

She took off her vest and shirt and took off the bandages. They were soaked in sweat and blood. She cleaned herself the best way she could and put some ointment in her wounds. Some were quite difficult to reach, the day before her father decided to give her a lesson about _"sealing"_ and he played with her back and a sharp kunai. Not that it wasn't the first time he did that, but this time he really went deep in her skin. She bandaged herself again and dressed back.

Kankuro was in deep thought leaning against his scrolls. He saw Kaoru coming and sitting in the same place she was before. He saw her taking a bag with a couple of hyorogan. She stared at them wondering if she should waste one right now. They were her last, and she probably wouldn't be able to buy more, but she knew she was weak, and she had lost a lot of blood. She needed energy and vitamins so she decided to take one.

Kankuro noticed the uncertainty in her face, then he watched her eating the pill, and she neatly folded the small plastic bag and put it in her backpack, which once again she patted until it was placed perfectly behind her back. Kaoru was a strange girl, and it annoyed him that she had to be so... perfect. Her clothes were perfect, her stance was perfect, her hair was perfect it didn't even move with the wind. She was a control freak... But what intrigued him the most were her hands. She had always, ALWAYS gloves on.

"Kaoru?" he asked softly. He knew he had to be kind with her, to receive an honest answer, or even an answer at all.

"What?"

"Why do you always wear gloves?"

She looked at him with surprise. This wasn't what she expected to hear.

"None of your business." she said closing her eyes to sleep.

_'Bitch'_

**TO BE CONTINUED...**

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><p><strong>Reviews are welcomed =)<strong>


	2. Blond & Tears

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto or any Naruto character.

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><p><strong>Between purple and red<strong>

Chapter 2 - _**Blood & Tears**_

Kankuro watched the girl fall asleep as fast as possible. She sure looked tired. But even so, they were only traveling for a day, and she was already this tired. He had missions with her before, and he knew that despite of her many weird OCD habits, she was equally obsessive with the missions, every single detail was carefully planned by her.

It was strange that she didn't even ask for the mission scroll yet. And even stranger that she fell asleep without discussing who would do the first watch, while the other rested. Something was wrong... She was a weird girl, but not that weird.

'_Maybe she's just having a bad day'_

Once again his attention got caught by her hands. Kaoru wore black gloves, made of some kind of silky fabric. Not that he cared about her or what she did wear or not. But Kankuro always paid attention to people's hands. Maybe because he took care of his own so much, they were his main reason to be what he was. His skillful hands were what made him stand out from his brother's shadow. At least it was what he thought. Hands were the puppet master's main tool, and he took care of them preciously.

Kankuro kept watching the girl sleeping. He could see that Kaoru was deep in sleep. He stayed that way until it was morning.

**0000000000**

Kaoru woke up but kept her eyes closed. She wondered if it was all a dream, and she was still at home. She fcould feel cold wind in her face, maybe she had slept with her window open...

She shifted and her thought was broken when she felt the pain in her back. A small gasp came from her lungs, and she open her eyes. Sitting was hard, but she had to, to prevent her body from shaking in pain.

Across from her, stood Kankuro leaning against a tree. She saw the male Jonin, staring at her.

Then it hit her!

She had fallen asleep, without telling him anything. It was already morning, the sun was rising, which meant she slept all night.

"Did you enjoy your sleep?" sarcasm came from Kankuro. He was obviously pissed off.

"I apologize, Kankuro-dono," Kaoru responded bowing her head. She knew it was her fault. How could she be so careless?

"Whatever, I wouldn't sleep anyway. I don't like sleeping in the woods, where I can be attacked anytime," Kankuro answered with arrogance. He moved from the tree.

"I'm gonna take a piss."

"Kankuro-dono?" Kaoru asked, Kankuro stopped and said nothing, but she knew he was listening, "I was wondering if you could give me the information scroll, I still haven't read it."

Kankuro noticed the politeness in her words. She was feeling guilty, for sleeping all night, he mentally smirked. He threw at her the mission scroll and then left her sight, to go make his business.

Kaoru caught the scroll. She crossed her legs and opened the scroll and placed it neatly on top of them; the scroll contained the details of the mission, which were for the two sand-nin to assist the Hokage and fulfill her requests. Then she saw something else, that made her go berserk.

Kankuro came back and saw Kaoru's face red. Red with anger. He knew what was about and he rolled his eyes. Still he asked anyway.

"What?"

"What's this over here?" she said coming close and pointing at a certain part of the scroll.

"That is the order Gaara gave me." he simply stated.

"He order you to be my superior?" Kaoru asked almost yelling.

"No. Gaara made me his representative in Konoha." he smirked "Wait, you _are_ right," a tone of irony in his voice "since I'm his representative in Konoha you will have to answer to me, so yeah I'm your superior!"

"There's no way I'm going to answer to you!" the purple haired girl spoke with a cold voice.

"You have to, if you deny my orders, then you're denying Gaara's... the Kazekage's orders." Kankuro said now with his typical evil grin.

Kaoru sighed frustrated. This mission was getting worse and worse. She wasn't even sure, if she would survive through it. If she wouldn't die by her infected wounds, she would probably die starving to death, and if she wouldn't die from that, since she knew how to at least hunt and fishing, she would die drowned by the other Jonin's massive ego.

She gave the scroll back to the puppet master and they gathered their stuff and started to run again. They wanted to reach the border to Hi no Kuni, that day.

They ran all the day, making very few short stops to rest. Kaoru was still in deep pain.

Running wasn't helping at all. The wounds wouldn't close. But she kept it together. She was used to hide her pain all of her life.

After almost 8 hours of running, Kankuro stopped. Kaoru stopped too. They were in a small village nearby Hi no Kuni's border.

"Why did you stop?" she asked.

"I'm hungry. Let's go eat." he turned to a small tea house. Kaoru was hungry too, but she wasn't going to eat. She had to save her money. Only when it would be absolutely necessary she would spend it. And this place looked expensive. She followed him to the tea house.

Kankuro sat in a small table in a corner of the small shop. His scrolls were leaning against the wall next to him. She sat in front of him. The waitress came and he order what he wanted, which was... a lot. Kaoru in the other hand said she didn't want anything.

Kankuro raised an eyebrow.

"Aren't you hungry? You don't eat for almost two days," he said remembering she only took a hyorogan.

"Why do you care?" Kaoru coldly replied. It wasn't her intention to be that cold, but she truly was hungry and she didn't want him to know it. It would be embarrassing if he knew she had almost no money.

"I care, because I don't want you to pass out. I don't want to carry your big ass to Konoha," he said clearly offended by the girl's coldness.

"I don't eat in long journeys." She lied. She stood up and went to the bathroom, to attend her injuries.

Which turned her mood down even more. The wounds looked worse by the day. Specially the last one. She would had to spent her money in healing medicine and bandages when she arrived Konoha. That was something _absolutely necessary_. After wrapping herself in bandages and put her clothes and making sure it looked perfect.

She looked herself at the bathroom mirror. She was really pale. Huge dark circles were under her blue eyes. Kaoru wasn't sure how she could last one more day like this. In pain and hungry. Her eyes started to tear up. She burst into tears. She let it all out. Keeping herself from crying would be worst. Kankuro would notice she was an emotional disaster, and would find the truth. Even though the sand-nin would care less about her. It would be embarrassing, and if her father knew someone else knew about what he did to his daughter, she was going to be in deep trouble.

Kaoru made a high and neat ponytail. Her hair was a little messy from the traveling and she didn't want it to look bad. Her father would bash her, if it wasn't perfect. She _had _to look perfect. Kaoru might not liked Kankuro, but he was her superior, and he was an important shinobi in Suna. She had to look properly in his presence. She washed her face and let her eyes dry from the tears. She had to rebuild her cold protective wall again.

**0000000000**

Kankuro saw the sand kunoichi coming back. Her hair was pulling in a perfect ponytail. Her face was still half covered by the purple bangs, but he could see a bit more of her features.

She sat down across him and she glared the food, then glared Kankuro, then she looked away.

"So besides obsessive compulsive you're also anorexic?" Kankuro joked. Kaoru gave him a deathly glare.

"Very funny. And you besides wearing make-up do you like to wear girl's clothes to match?" she replied. They always had this kind of relationship. It would be strange if they didn't insult each other.

"You know insulting me is like insulting the Kazekage," he said with a cocky grin.

"You only represent him, in Konoha. We're not there yet."

"So that means you will not insult me there?" his grin got wider.

"No. But if you stop offending me and my habits, I'll stop it too," Kaoru said, still glancing away. The smell of the food made her hunger grow, and her stomach was making noises. Thank God, Kankuro wasn't hearing them.

"That will never happen. You're too fun when I mock," he replied drinking his tea.

"I thought I was annoying," she murmured to herself, but he heard that.

"And you are. That's what makes you fun to mock." they stared each other for a moment. Then she broke the eye contact and got up.

"I'll wait for you outside" Kaoru said.

After exiting the tea shop she leaned against the small shop's wall. She closed her eyes letting out a high sigh. Kaoru's thoughts focused on the puppet master. Kankuro was always a moody guy, she knew he had a hard time because of his brother. But since Gaara became Kazekage, Kankuro was less reckless. He made his way to become Jonin, and he became quite respected among Suna shinobis. When Gaara was kidnapped by the Akatsuki, Kankuro went after the redheaded ignoring the fact he was going to face two Akatsuki members. He just wanted to save his little brother. Yes, Kankuro grew up a lot this last three years. Kaoru knew she had to respect him. Still, her pride wasn't broken yet and if she had to, she would slap the sand nin's face for insulting her.

A few minutes later they were going towards the Fire country's border.

**0000000000**

Neither had slept that night. Kaoru refused to repeat the night before. She was tired and felt weak, but her will was strong enough for her to endure. She would bear all the suffering till they arrive in Konoha. Kankuro, on the other hand didn't slept for unknown reasons. He himself found odd he didn't feel the need to sleep. Both Jonins barely talked through the time they rested.

Deciding it was a waste of time to be awake and rest the whole night, they decided to get back into travelling that night.

After a day of almost nonstop running, Kaoru could feel her body starting to give up.

'_Only a bit more.'_

Soon they reached Konoha, the sight of the Leaf's gates seemed like the gates of heaven. If Kaoru wasn't so stiff and self-controlled she would have kissed the ground.

When they passed through the gates, Kaoru followed Kankuro. It was her first time in the peaceful village. Kankuro had been there a few times, including that time their village attacked Konoha. She wasn't part of that though.

Kankuro went straight to a boy with a ponytail. The boy smirked and lazily came towards both sand-nins.

"Shikamaru," Kankuro called the boy. Kaoru noticed how laid back the boy was.

_'Is he a chunin?'_

"I thought Temari was coming too," Shikamaru spoke. He glared at the sand kunoichi.

"Kurokaze Kaoru, right?" he asked. She nodded.

"Nara Shikamaru," he introduced himself.

"He's Temari's boyfriend," Kankuro said.

"That again? No, I'm not her boyfriend. You guys should stop that, it's getting old." the boy yawned. Kaoru didn't took her eyes out of the deer-boy. Kankuro noticed how she was watching him, and raised an eyebrow. Not that he care or anything... But she was sort of staring awkwardly at him.

"Nara... your family has bond with deers, right?" Kaoru said. Shikamaru seemed surprised and nodded. Kaoru continued "Then you must be familiar with their seals, right?"

Kankuro mentally _facepalmed_ himself. Of course she was staring at the guy because of his powers. Kaoru wasn't the type of girl who went after the boys. In fact, Kankuro was pretty sure, the purple haired girl wasn't even able to like someone, so surely she could care less about having a boyfriend or guys in general.

"I see you know a few things about my clan," Shikamaru responded.

"No, just about the seals your clan uses. Some of the best medical seals are from your clan," Kaoru complimented.

"Thanks. Now let me get you to the Hokage," Shikamaru gave them their personal permits, and they went to the Hokage's mansion.

**0000000000**

Tsunade read carefully the letter that Kankuro gave her. Then her attention went to the sand kunoichi. She stared at her normal face for a while, then she raised an eyebrow. Kaoru kept her fake _normal_ expression, she knew Tsunade was a medical-nin, but she was sure she wouldn't discover her wounds. Her seals hidden in her back wouldn't let her.

"Are you ok?" Tsunade asked the girl with a concern in her voice. Kankuro frowned and also looked at Kaoru. Despite of the obvious signals that she was tired, she looked normal. She probably looked better than him.

Kaoru nodded, "I'm fine, Hokage-sama" she bowed. Tsunade glared a little bit more, she knew something was wrong with the girl, but she couldn't sense anything _physically_ wrong.

"Well, the Kazekage said you are his representative Kankuro-san, so I don't want you to stay in some uncomfortable inn." she paused then continued, "I arranged a cosy place for you to stay for a month. I wanted you to be with someone you already knew, so you can be comfortable." she turned to the brunette that was next to her.

"Shizune go get them."

**TO BE CONTINUED...**

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><p><strong>Review if you can =)<strong>


	3. The boy with the dog

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto or any Naruto character!

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><p><strong>Between purple and red<strong>

Chapter 3 - _**The boy with the dog**_

"Your mission will start monday, only by then I will have all the items you'll need prepared. So you can rest for the weekend," Tsunade said. Kaoru was relieved. She was too weak and tired to start the mission right in that moment, whatever the mission was.

"And what is the mission?" he asked. Tsunade glared at Shikamaru that seemed bored for being there, she didn't want to talk in front of him.

"You will know monday."

Someone knocked the door.

"Enter." Tsunade ordered.

Shizune entered the room, following her was a boy and a white big dog. Kaoru saw the boy, he had red marks in his cheeks resembling fangs. His eyes were animalistic, and his hair was too messy. Kaoru found herself thinking about making his hair neat. The boy looked at her, and she blushed. The boy was really handsome.

"Kiba, these are our Suna guests," Tsunade said.

"Kiba, the dog boy!" Kankuro mocked. Kaoru wanted to slap the puppet master, for being so rude to their host, but she was surprised when she saw Kiba laughing.

"Kankuro, the doll boy," he replied equally joking. Then he turned to her.

"I assume you are Kaoru, right?" Kiba asked.

"Yes, Kurokaze Kaoru," she presented herself.

"I'm Inuzuka Kiba," he said giving a sexy smile, that made her heart skip a beat. A bark came from the huge dog, that startled the purple haired girl. "Ah right and he is Akamaru." Kiba said pointing at his dog. Kaoru looked at the dog and gave him a small nod with a small smile. What was she supposed to do? Talk with the dog?

A few minutes later, the two sand nins were following Kiba and Akamaru. Well, Kaoru was following, Kankuro was next to Kiba talking about random things. Kiba looked over his shoulder.

"I have to say that when I saw Kaoru's name in my mission scroll, I thought it was a guy," Kiba said.. "But I'm grateful, it's a girl, a pretty one!"

Kaoru blushed and smiled, Kiba smiled at her too. Kankuro saw the exchange of smiles.

"Kiba, you must be desperate," he evilly said. Kiba was about to respond, but the girl cut him.

"Kankuro-dono," she sighed on purpose "Please just... shut up."

Kiba's eyes were filled with surprise by her words, but he laughed.

"Yeah, Kankuro shut up!" he joked.

After, an almost 20 minute walk, they arrived at Kiba's house where they were staying.

It was a mid size house and it was close to a forest. It was bigger than Kaoru's for sure, not that Kaoru had a small house, she actually had a really good house, located in the richest part of Sunagakure; her family was a high-class family. However no one knew what happened inside those walls.

The three shinobis entered the yard following the dog nin. There were a lot of dog houses and dog toys scattered through the yard. Kaoru realized that Kiba probably had more dogs other than Akamaru.

Kiba unlocked his door, and they all went inside.

"My mother and my sister are not home for a while, so we are alone. Well my sister is only out for the weekend, but still, make yourselves home," Kiba said.

The house was surprisingly clean and well furnitured, compared to its rustic yard. It was a pleasant place.

Akamaru started to snuggle his head against Kaoru's knees. Kaoru petted the dog's head , and he seemed to enjoy it, that until he smelled her gloved hands and barked.

"What is it boy?" Kiba asked his companion, also petting him. Akamaru barked some more.

"Really?" Kiba asked him understanding what the animal was saying, then he looked at the girl's hands. By his face she could tell he knew what was there.

"Let me guess... some kind of chackra seal?" Kiba asked. Kaoru smirked, this boy was smart.

"Yes," she responded. Kankuro stood not far away watching the whole thing.

'_Chackra seals? What are they talking about?'_

"Akamaru got scared he can't smell you no matter how hard he tries," he laughed, " Neither can I."

Kaoru blushed a bit, and her eyes fixed in Kiba's hair again. He had a loose lock that pointed in the opposite side of the others. She started to move her fingers discretely. That loose lock was getting at her nerves. She tried to distract herself.

"You use chackra to smell?" she asked trying to no pay attention in to that damn brown lock.

"Yeah I use chackra to increase my sense of smell," he replied. Not noticing her shaking hand and uncontrollable fingers, however a certain observant puppet master was watching it, and smirking. Kankuro didn't even tried to hide it.

"Well if you use it close to me, it won't work, you can't use chackra. You'll have to be at least 3 meters away from me." Kaoru couldn't take it anymore. Her hand reached almost on its own at his hair, she took the hair lock between her finger and gently tried to make it look right. Kiba blushed at her attitude.

No matter how hard she tried, that piece of hair didn't stay right. She kept touching for a while.

Kankuro laughed in the beginning, then his amused face started to fade away, as he saw Kiba _liking _it. Kaoru seemed not noticing the effect she was having at the dog boy.

Then Kankuro saw something else, they were staring at each other.

The mood was awkward, at least for the puppet master. He had to break it.

"What do you mean he can't use chackra in you?" Kankuro spoke loud enough to make the other two shinobis jump. Even poor Akamaru got startled.

He saw his plan working when Kaoru let go of Kiba's hair.

"Chackra doesn't work against me," she said with a cold voice.

"Since when?" Kankuro asked raising an eyebrow.

"Since a few years ago," she replied.

"No way, I remember using my chackra strings on you." He smirked reminding some wicked situations where he put Kaoru through hell. Well... not hell, but it was funny seeing her all riled up.

"And when was that?" Kaoru asked.

"Hmm... I think a few years ago," Kankuro responded.

"Exactly!" she said, ending her point.

"So the seals are in your hands?" Kiba asked.

"Yes, my hands are totally immune against chackra attacks. However my body also rejects any kinda of chackra contact. It turns it off. Like fire under water," Kaoru replied smiling at Kiba.

Kankuro was speechless. In just half an hour, Kiba had discovered something that he has tried for years. A strange feeling came inside of him.

'_Whatever, he probably will start finding her annoying anytime soon.'_

**0000000000**

Kiba showed them their rooms. He let Kaoru stay in the guest room, and he would share his room with Kankuro.

"Dude your room is a freaking mess," Kankuro said looking arround.

"Sorry, but I didn't expect anyone sleeping here. I really thought Kaoru was a guy," Kiba said picking up his clothes from the floor. Kankuro wondered why the hell he would share the guest room with another guy, if Kaoru was a dude... in a king size bed.

"If she saw your room, she would have a heart attack, or probably clean it for you." Kankuro said putting down his scrolls.

"Why is that?" the younger boy asked, still trying to clean up his room.

"She has OCD, she's a neat freak."

"What the hell is OCD?" Kiba asked.

"She has an obsessive compulsive disorder. She can't stand things out-of-place, everything must be perfect you know?"

"Ah! I know what that is." Kiba kept doing his thing. Kankuro saw the boy reacting indifferent about that. That somehow got into his nerve.

"That's why she was playing with your hair." Kiba stopped and glared at the sand-nin. Then he smirked.

"Good, now I have an excuse for her touching me." He said messing his hair even more. Kankuro frowned.

"What? Don't tell me you don't find her attractive? She's a total babe...wait she's not your girlfriend, right?" Kiba asked.

"WHAT? Are you serious I would never date that weirdo. How on earth would you think something like that?" Kankuro burst.

"Well, I noticed your face paint is the exact same color as her hair."

"So?" Kankuro was red, not knowing if he was blushing or just furious, Kiba kept speaking.

"I don't know, it could be a tribute to her, a relationship thing or something."

Kankuro grunted. "It's not."

"I have to go do groceries, we could go out dinner, what do you think?" Kiba asked.

"Sure," Kankuro replied.

"Ok, let's ask Kaoru-chan."

_'Kaoru-chan?'_

Kankuro frowned. He had a bad feeling about this.

Kiba knocked the door where Kaoru was staying.

"Kaoru-chan we were planning to go out to eat wanna join?" Kiba asked. Kaoru at first blushed, no one ever called her -chan. No one was ever that nice to her, but then her thoughts flew away, when she realized she had to say no.

"I'm sorry but I'm really tired. I really want to sleep."she said. '_and change these damn bandages'._

"You don't eat for almost three days, I'm starting to wonder if you are _truly_ anorexic." Kankuro said appearing from behind.

"Kankuro-dono, please mind your own business, I am not anorexic, I am just really tired. As you know I did not sleep last night," Kaoru said, trying her best to not show how hungry she was.

"Well, you can stay if you want, we have to go because I don't have anything to eat here. Akamaru will stay with you in case you need anything," Kiba said. Kaoru didn't understand, how the dog would help her if she needed anything.

"Kiba-kun. I was wondering... if I can use your shower," she politely asked.

"Of course, the bathroom is across the hall. There's towels in the cabinet."

"Thank you, Kiba-kun."

The boys said goodbye, well Kiba said, Kankuro just ignored her and they both left.

Kaoru sighed. She prepared her clothes neatly in the bed, that she was going to wear, which were basically pants and a long sleeve shirt pyjamas.

She took off her gloves, and let the air touch the skin. Then she looked down and saw Akamaru laying on the floor of the room. She came close to the dog and knelt to pet his head. His fur felt so soft between her fingers. It was amazing. Akamaru seemed to enjoy it as well. Kaoru always loved animals, but rarely she was able to actually feel one in her skin.

Her father would never let her have an animal, it would "mess and make the house dirty" as he usually said, even though she was almost treated like one. No... Even worse than an animal. Compared to Akamaru, her life was below shit. She tried not to think much about it. The thoughts about her father made her feel sick. She was in another country, she didn't need to deal with that for a month!

She grabbed her bandages and healing ointment and her bath products and went to the bathroom. Turning on the water, she stripped down her clothes and untied her hair. Then unwrapped the bloody bandages. She look over her shoulder to the mirror and saw that the stab wound still looked really bad. The others somehow seemed better... kind off... She entered the bath tub and let the water spill over her head. It was the best feeling she had over the last three days.

After washing and carefully pick a red towel, if any blood would stain it. She took care of her wounds. She finished the bandages she had. Kaoru sighed in sadness, she had to buy more the next day. Of course, she would prefer to buy food, but she had to treat herself, and make sure no one would find how bad she was damaged.

Damaged in body and in mind. Since young, Kaoru was quiet. Not because she was shy or timid, but because her father didn't like her to play with other children. If she did so, she would get beaten. So she didn't play with anyone, never. The other kids took that attitude as arrogance. They judged her, and mocked her, because they thought she acted 'so superior'. Kaoru was damaged, but she wasn't stupid. Her father knew that long missions like this one could make her change, it was undeniable that she could actually make... friends. Maybe that Kiba boy could be her friend. Maybe she could act... normal with him. Yeah maybe...

Kaoru cleaned the bathroom, letting no signs of blood in there. Then she wrapped herself in the towel and went to her room dress. Akamaru was watching, but come on he was a dog... what would he do? She placed the wet towel neatly behind the chair located at the corner of the room. Then she went to bed. Patting the free space next to her, she let Akamaru laid beside her. She fell asleep in no time.

**0000000000**

"I'm so tired," said Kankuro, coming back to Kiba's place.

"I'll prepare your bed. I have a spare futon for when Shino comes sleepover." Kiba responded getting inside the house. He went straight to the kitchen putting the groceries where they belonged.

"Shino? Isn't that the guy that I almost killed?" Kankuro asked yawning.

"Yeah. I think he's still mad about that. Where's Akamaru?" Kiba asked looking around.

"Must be with Kaoru."

Both boys went upstairs. Kiba prepared Kankuro's bed, while the puppet master went for a bath.

Kankuro was truly tired, as he washed his face paint off and the paint diluted in the water, he remembered Kaoru touching Kiba's hair. How nice she was to the dog boy and not to him. She was teasing him. Yeah that was it Kaoru was teasing him with Kiba. Kankuro smirked.

'_There is no way she would like him. She doesn't like dogs. She like things neat and clean.'_

After putting his sleeping clothes on, which were some loose black pants, he left the small room.

"Traitor."

He saw Kiba in front of Kaoru's room. Kiba saw him and waved with his head for him to peek.

Akamaru was sleeping in the bed with Kaoru, they were laying side by side. Because of Kiba's attitude, Akamaru probably didn't want to sleep anywhere else. Both boys were pissed off.

Kiba because of his "traitor" companion, and Kankuro because he wasn't so sure about '_her not liking dogs' _anymore and with that thought he wasn't referring to Akamaru...

**To be continued...**

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><p><strong>Review if you can =)<strong>


	4. Kaoru's vices

**Between purple and red**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto or any Naruto character.

**Warning:** Child physical abuse.

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><p>Chapter 4 - <em><strong>Kaoru's vices<strong>_

Kaoru woke up with the most wonderful smell ever. She knew that smell pretty well, although, she wasn't allowed to taste it, every morning her house had the same smell. It was the smell of pancakes. She got up and dressed quickly her kunoichi outfit, but without the vest. Then... she panicked. She searched for the scroll where she could summon her hairdryer, but she didn't find it anywhere. After 5 minutes of searching she realized she had forgotten the damn scroll in Sunagakure.

She looked at herself in the vanity's mirror. Her hair was naturally wavy, not that it looked bad like that, but her father made her believe she would look like a classless woman wearing her hair like that, that she would look like a slut. Kaoru glanced at the mirror and decided it was best to braid her hair, at least it would look more presentable. Unsure of how she looked, she put on her long gloves and finally decided to go check that amazing smell. She had to eat, she couldn't take the hunger anymore.

Kaoru went downstairs to the kitchen and Akamaru followed her. Kankuro was sitting eating his pancakes. He was with his sleeping pants, and a black t-shirt, while Kiba in the other hand had only some shorts, which later Kaoru realized were his boxers. She blushed seeing the dog boy's naked torso. Kiba had a well-defined chest and some magnificent abs, he was lean, but completely toned. His tan skin was mesmerizing.

Kankuro stopped eating when the girl entered the room. Her eyes went straight to Kiba.

_'Why does the mutt have to be so flashy?'_

He gave Kiba a painful glare, but the leaf chunin didn't notice.

"Hey Kaoru-chan, I made pancakes come eat with us!" Kiba said smiling, Kaoru sat at the head of the table in the opposite side of the puppet master. She looked at him and stared at him. Kankuro noticed and felt himself getting hot and embarrassed, but he controlled it to prevent himself from showing any kind of redness in his face.

"What?" he said trying desperately to _get out _of this situation. Kaoru didn't responded she was shocked seeing the male sand nin without his usual face paint; last time she saw his _paintless_ face was when they were kids. Kankuro had grown up, she already knew it, but he's face became so... handsome and adult-like.

"Without your make-up, you look a lot like your father," she said. Kankuro's fake frowning faded away. That answer wasn't what he expected. He wasn't even sure if it was an insult or a compliment.

"Hmm... Thanks?" he said unsure. Kaoru then made something he wasn't ready for. She smiled at him. Not a huge smile, but a small smile. Still, it was a smile.

_'So it was a compliment.'_

"Eat some pancakes before they get cold, Kaoru-chan," Kiba said. Kaoru served herself two pancakes, and started to cut them with a knife.*

"You're gonna eat with your gloves on?" Kankuro asked. His tone was not harsh, it was just... naturally brute.

"These are new and clean," she replied showing them.

She took one bite of the pancake, and then she almost jumped.

"OH MY GOD!"

The boys startled.

"What's wrong?" Kiba asked.

"THIS is the best thing I ever ate!" both boys 'sweatdropped' themselves.

"You never had pancakes before?" Kiba asked. Kaoru blushed a bit embarrassed and shook her head 'no'.

Kankuro just watched her '_She's so odd.'_

A whine got everybody's attention. Akamaru was trying to get his owner's attention.

"So now you want me you little traitor!" Kiba said pretending to be offended. The dog laid his head in Kiba's lap, and Kaoru was sure the dog was doing puppy eyes, literally.

"Are you mad at him, because he spent the night with me?" Kaoru asked. Kiba was now feeding the dog, then he smiled.

"Of course not! I'm glad he likes you. Akamaru only likes to sleep with me, so he must think you're really special." She blushed at his words. No one ever complimented her, and in less than a day Kiba already told her so many wonderful things.

"I like him too, he's an amazing dog." Kiba loved her response. Across the table someone was not enjoying what was going on at all.

"I thought you didn't like animals, because of your OCD," Kankuro said.

"Don't be silly, I do not have OCD!"

"Yes, you have."

"No, I don't. I only like things clean and organized, what is wrong with that?"

"Nothing. But you are obsessed with that in an unhealthy way. You know what? I can even prove it!"

"Oh really and how would you that?" she asked.

"After breakfast I'll show ya," Kankuro said. Kaoru was suspicious, he was planning something, especially because of what he said next, "And to turn things more interesting we should do a bet."

"A bet?" She asked.

"Yeah, if I can prove you have OCD you have to show me your hands without the gloves."

"Ok, but if you can't, which is what it is going to happen, you will never ask me about my hands again!"

"Fair enough," Kankuro replied watching Kaoru cutting her pancakes, in small square shapes, they all had the same size. He smirked, Kiba smirked too. He didn't knew much about the sand girl, but even he could tell that she had weird habits.

**0000000000**

Kaoru felt great. With her stomach full with amazing food, the kunoichi felt her energy up again.

She had rested and eat, and her wounds didn't hurt too much. In that saturday morning, life was good!

Then why she had to ruin it and do a stupid bet with Kankuro, especially a bet she knew the other guy was right about? Why did Kankuro whispered Kiba his plan and then they both evilly smirked towards her? And why the hell she was following the two boys in to Kiba's room, especially when this one was half-naked?

Kaoru was feeling uneasy. Something bad was about to happen. They wouldn't hurt her, right?

Kiba entered the room, and Kankuro stopped, letting Kaoru pass.

"Lady's first." he teased. She was about to yell something really awful for innocent ears, when she saw what was in front of her. The messiest room she ever saw. Her eyes were wide open.

Kankuro closed the door after entering and leaned against it, just in case she wanted to escape.

"Sorry Kaoru-chan, but I'm not organized at all," Kiba excused himself. Both boys were laughing at the girl's expression. She was speechless and frozen in place.

Her fingers started to move uncontrolled. Then she started to shake.

There is always a reason behind a habit. Good habits, usually come from a good education, a healthy choice of lifestyle, or even to please others. Good habits come from doing pleasant things over and over agin. Good habits are also known sometimes by virtues. The opposite side of a virtue, is a vice. Bad habits normally are considered to be vices. Things that danger somehow people's health, or simply bother those who don't follow the same vice.

But what about when the vice mixes with the virtue? Is that really a vice? Is it still a virtue? Or it becomes something new? Something completely different from a good or bad habit? What about when the virtue becomes so intense it becomes a vice? When the person can no longer control it, and every single cell of their body craves it to the end the pain? How thin is the line that separates a vice from a virtue?

Kaoru had a vice, which everyone thought it was a virtue. But only she knew how living with OCD was painful. But like virtues, vices also begin somewhere. A bad education, influence, a trauma... Something that triggered the person to follow that bad habit.

The boys' laughs were muffled by something running inside the sand kunoichi's head. An euphoric wave was about to burst. Not because Kiba's room was messy, but because it trigged old memories in Kaoru's head.

Memories that traumatized her enough to become obsessive with cleaning.

Kiba's room seemed to get smaller inch by inch. Kaoru was shaking now so much, she was having a hard time to breathe. She turned around to escape, but Kankuro was blocking the door. She started to push him aside, but he was too big and strong.

He laughed seeing the poor girl freaking out, and grabbed her to make her stop. He wrapped an arm around her back to pull her to him into the center of the room. But the moment he did so, she screamed in pain. Kankuro's smiling face turned into confusion. Kiba was confused too.

Kaoru pushed away the puppet master and ran towards the door. Her shaky hands coul barely open the door.

"Kaoru-chan?" Kiba asked coming closer. Kankuro just stood there shocked. He could see Kaoru's glossy eyes. He could see how pathetic she was struggling with the door knob, he leaned forward and easily opened the door for Kaoru. She ran to her room and closed the door.

"Kankuro what happened?" Kiba asked serious.

"I have no idea," Kankuro answered lowly.

**0000000000**

_"Mom! Mooom, where are you?"_

_The house seemed so big..._

_... but I searched everywhere. _

_My hands were covered in black. I remember playing outside, our faces were painted, I was a panda and he was a zebra, I don't remember his face beneath._

_I went back inside to show mom, what my friend painted on me. I ran towards _their_ room._

_"Mom!"_

_But I only saw him. He was sitting on the floor in the middle of a big circle. I remember thinking how funny the circle was, red and shiny. He saw me and said for me to join him._

_"Daddy, where's mom?"_

_He ignored me and made me sat in the circle._

_"Why is your face dirty?"_

_His voice was demonic. It didn't look like dad anymore._

_"I-I was playing animals with my friends."_

_I was so scared._

_"But you can't have friends."_

_His voice was deceiving._

_"W-why?"_

_"Because nobody loves you. I don't love you, and mommy is not here anymore to love you."_

_I didn't understand what he had said. But I understood pain when he punched me. His fist was white and black, like my painted face..._

_"You are dirty, no one will love you because you are dirty."_

_Dirty..._

"I'm dirty..." Kaoru cradled herself in the middle of the room. Soft sobs coming from her.

She could feel the re-opened wounds in her back. Kankuro grabbed her a bit too hard. Enough to make the cuts bleed again. Remembering, she had no more bandages and healing medicine, she felt another wave of sadness.

"Kaoru-chan are you ok?" his voice was so concerned. His kindness softened Kaoru's heart and soul. She couldn't give up. The dog boy seemed to care about her, _'Even if it is because of his mission, he still cares'._

"I'm fine.", she said at the closed-door. She disguised her crying voice. She got up shaking and putting her fine-poker face on.

Her fingers reached the key and unlocked the door. Kiba stood there concerned.

"Kiba-kun, I'm fine. I guess you guys are right, I have OCD."

She tried to take his mind out of the screaming part. She smiled. Kiba smiled back softly. Their eyes locked on each other. She blushed, noticing how close they were.  
>His semi naked body was emanating a nice warm, that made her shiver. Never in a million years she had been this close to a boy, well except that stupid Kankuro that hurt her a few minutes before.<p>

"Kiba-kun?"

"Yeah?" he softly replied.

"I was wondering if we could go out, I have some things I need to buy," she said trying to sound as normal as possible. Of course if she asked the boy for some bandages, he would give her, but then it would come with questions, and Kankuro would discover everything, and that was out of question.

"Sure. I just have to get ready."

"Thank you, Kiba-kun." she slightly bow, trying to not hiss at the pain.

**To be continued...**

*yes a knife, as in a knife and fork... come on they wouldn't eat pancakes with chopsticks would they? xD

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><p>Reviews are welcomed =D<p> 


	5. Sakura

**Disclaimer** - I do NOT own Naruto or any Naruto Character.

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><p>Chapter 5 - <em><strong>Sakura<strong>_

The three shinobis, plus Akamaru were walking through the streets of Konoha.

Kaoru hadn't noticed , because she was tired the day before, how beautiful the village was.

Konoha was by far bigger than Suna, and had a higher number of population. The purple haired girl could see why. The warm weather was comfortable, not like in Suna where the heat was almost painful. Also the village was so colourful, the blue sky contrasting with the green trees. It was heaven on Earth.

Kaoru, on contrary from other Sand-nins, hated the Hidden Sand Village. She would never said it, because of her "shinobi pride", but she couldn't stand that awful place. People were judgemental, cold, emotionless, and then there was her father...

Kaoru bit her lip thinking about him. Her eyes glanced a small girl who was holding hands with her father. They were both laughing and happy.

'_Konoha is so much better.'_

The trio arrived at the main shopping street.

"Where do you want to go, Kaoru-chan?" Kiba asked smiling.

"Hmm... I have to..." she had to find some kind of lie, "buy... girl stuff."

"Girl stuff?" Kiba asked confused. She smirked too herself, it was a good lie.

"Yes-" she was cut by Kankuro.

"So that's why you are acting weird, you're with the red flag."

'_Acting weird? Did he notice something? Am I not hiding it right?'_

Kaoru panicked inside, she tried to stay calm, which was harder than she thought, still she replied.

"Kankuro-dono, that's none of your business."

It was a good lie, it was better for them to think she was with her period instead of the truth. No matter what she was bleeding like crazy, so if they found out bloody bandages, she had an excellent alibi. Although, not the most honorable one.

She turned to the small drug store nearby. The boys giving her some privacy to buy her "girl stuff", stayed in the crowded street.

The shop was much bigger inside than she thought, when she was outside. There was only one other costumer there.

"So, tell Tsunade-sama that I ordered more of these herbs, but they will only come tomorrow" the employer said to the girl.

"Ok, but I will take the ones you got." the girl responded. The employer nodded and went inside; Kaoru deduced he went to his storage room.

Another man came from the same door.

"Hello, what can I help you?" he asked Kaoru.

"Do you have this?" she showed him a small paper.

"Oh, cactus flower healing ointment, yes we have."

"I want a bottle and I want some bandages too, please," Kaoru replied. The man went inside to pick up her items.

"You're from Suna. I can see your headband," the girl said. Kaoru glared at her.

"Yes, I am," she coldly replied. The girl ignored her tone.

"I don't understand why Sand shinobis use cactus flower ointment, it's a really slow healer."

"We use it because it's heat-resistant. And it's cheap." Kaoru smacked herself mentally. What the hell she was thinking, talking about cheap?

"Oh, but here in Konoha, it's quite expensive. We don't have those kind of cactus around here. It's considered luxury, only Katon users buy those." the Leaf girl said, "You know what? I think I can arrange you something better and cheaper."

Kaoru looked at the girl. Why was she so kind? It was the first time they met, and she was from another village... The pink haired girl smiled. When the employer arrived, she asked him to replace the ointment.

"This one, heals faster, and it's 10 times less pricey. I personally use it in missions," the girl said. So, she was a Kunoichi too. Kaoru smirked.

"What's your name?"

"Haruno Sakura." she extended her hand.

"Kurokaze Kaoru." Kaoru shook her hand. "Thank you, Sakura-san."

"No problem, Kaoru-san." Sakura smiled.

_'Konoha shinobis are so much nicer...'_

Sakura left with her herbs before Kaoru. Kaoru paid for her things, which left her wallet almost empty, (she wouldn't dare to think on the price of the cactus ointment she first asked for) and grabbed the small brown package. She thought about Sakura. The kunoichi seemed a happy person. Was she happy to be here? In this wonderful place?

Kaoru smiled. As she stepped out the store, her smile faded away.

Sakura was with the boys. Not only that but Kankuro was kind of hugging her.

Something was building inside Kaoru, something deep in her stomach. Her lungs hurt, like she was stabbed from inside out.

_'What's wrong with me?'_

**0000000000**

Kankuro and Kiba waited for Kaoru, outside the shop. A strange silence between the boys, like something had to be said, but none of them knew what. It was definitely a unconfortable silence.

"So, what happened between you and Kaoru-chan?" Kiba asked the puppeteer, breaking the awkward ambient.

"What do you mean? Nothing happened."

"Oh, I'm not blind. I can see that something is up, do you hate each other or something?" the Inuzuka boy asked.

"Sort of. We used to be friends when we were little, but then her mother died, and she became distant... She changed in so many aspects, that when we were at the academy it was like she wasn't Kaoru anymore. She just cared about studies and training. We were the only two students that were really bad at close combat, but great with chackra control. So we ended up having the same classes. Somehow that was embarrassing. She's a year younger than me, and I had to work a lot to keep up with her. She became great at sealing, like her father," Kankuro replied thoughtfully.

"Her father, is he still alive?" Kiba asked. Being raised without a father, made him sympathetic with those that were raised by single parents.

"Yeah, he's one of Suna's counselors. He's a wise man. Although, he is not an active shinobi anymore."

"What happened?" the younger boy asked.

"Mission gone bad. The guy was so messed up, afterwards, that he had to have psychological counseling. Then is wife died and he raised Kaoru by himself. Somehow that gave him his sanity back."

They stood silent for a bit.

"I think that's why Kaoru is like that, the OCD thing, because she doesn't want to go through what her father went," Kankuro continued.

"I think she's a nice girl. She likes me better than you for sure," Kiba joked. Both boys chuckled.

"Yeah, I guess she does. But I don't hate her, you know. It just annoys me the fact she is so neat, acts so perfect in everything. I also lost my mother when I was a kid, and I had to leave with a monster. I spend a lot of nights awake thinking that Gaara would kill me if I fell asleep. And I didn't become that messed up."

"You are a bit messed up, Kankuro," Kiba said.

"Yeah, I am... but I know I'm not perfect. And I don't act like I am. Kaoru does that."

"True, but... she kinda looks perfect, right?" Kiba asked.

Kankuro stood silent.

_'Yeah, that's what I can't stand.'._

"At least I'm better in close fights than her," Kankuro said.

"Dude, you kind of suck in taijutsu." Kiba said. The puppet master glared him.

"I may not be good at taijutsu, but I can fight if I want to, I'm not a small guy you know? And I'm pretty strong too," Kankuro replied defending his honor.

"Well, that is an advantage that's for sure... Oh look Sakura!" Sakura came from the drug store towards them.

"Hey Kiba... oh hey Kankuro-san!" Sakura greeted smiling.

"Hey," the puppet master answered with a smile.

"Oh now I understand! That girl from the store is with you?"

"Kaoru? What has she done?" Kankuro asked expecting the worst.

"Oh nothing! She's really nice."

"Nice? Whatever, I'm not even going to comment that... Say, Sakura?"

"Yes?" Kankuro patted awkwardly her back in a gentle way.

"I never had the chance to thank you for curing me," Kankuro warmly said.

"Oh, you don't need to. We are allies, we help each other," Sakura replied.

They both broke the semi-hug-thing, and Kankuro glanced at the shop entrance where Kaoru stood. Their eyes met, and part of him regret it... the hug. However, he had no reason to regret it, right?

**0000000000**

Kaoru was always mean towards Kankuro. The guy was always making fun of her, so she hated him. But that hate was now something different.

Since that morning, Kaoru barely spoke to either puppet master and dog boy. Something was different in her, and both boys could see that. Her eyes were gloomy. Deep inside those blue eyes, there was a new emotion.

Kaoru, in all her life, suffered; she had felt all the bad feelings that a person could feel, physical pain, emotional pain, sadness, depression, sorrow... But this was something completely different and new. And it was scaring her. All these earlier feelings she had, she always managed to hide them. She would put her "perfect girl" mask on and no one would see the real Kaoru. No one would ask questions.

But this new emotion, she couldn't hide it. She didn't have the strength to do it.

That morning, they planned to meet at night at Kiba's. Sakura promised to bring her team, and Kiba said his team would come too. It was strange for the sand Kunoichi, she was not used to this kind of things. Being social was something she had forgotten long time ago. Of course she knew how to act in meetings, and with team mates and missions. But being in a "social event" like this was nerve-wracking.

Kaoru looked at herself in the mirror. She had change her black shirt, into another. The sleeves of the new one only reached a little bit past the elbows, but her gloves were long enough to cover the bare arms. Also she decided to let go the Suna headband.

Night came really quick, quicker than she expected. The trio had dinner, Kaoru spoke only once to compliment Kiba's food. She spent the rest of the dinner hearing the boys talk about... well whatever boys like to talk.

After dinner, the door was knocked. Kaoru offered herself to wash the dishes, so the boys could hang out with the others. After several minutes of arguing with Kiba about it, Kaoru won.

She could hear the voices in the living room... Opening the water tap and taking of the long gloves, she washed the plates. Then she felt a presence behind her. She acted like she had not.

Closing the water. She realized she knew that presence only too well.

"What do you want Kankuro-dono?" she asked without turning around. Her gloves were left in the table, behind her.

_'Stupid mistake'_

"I can sense you are uneasy. Are you looking for these?" Kaoru looked over her shoulder. Kankuro was holding her gloves.

_'Shit._

_Why does he do these things?_

_Why do you hunt my weaknesses so hard, Kankuro?_

_Do you enjoy my pain? Are you like him?_

_Why everything that you say and do hurt me?_

_Why, Kankuro?'_

"Kankuro-dono, please leave my gloves on the table and leave," She asked without sounding cold or harsh. Her voice stabbed Kankuro, it pierced through his body. It was not an order, no. She was _begging_. Not in an obvious way, but in a way only a person like Kankuro could understand. A person that knew how pride could hurt when it was broken.

_'Something happened today' _Kankuro though. They stood silent for a while. Kaoru felt his presence gone. His Ki was not there anymore.

She turned around, and startled. He was less than 30 cm apart from her. He was looking straight at her eyes. Those dark eyes of his said it all... She was screwed...

**To be continued...**

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><p><strong>Review if you can =)<strong>


	6. Konoha nin's gathering

(**Warning** - Cursing and bad words. Also alcohol underage drinking, it's not underage where I live so I'm not feeling guilty! xD)

**Disclaimer** - I do NOT own Naruto or any Naruto Character.

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><p>Chapter 6 - <em><strong>Konoha nin's gathering<strong>_

Those dark eyes of his said it all... She was screwed...

There was no way to go. Kaoru was pinned between the kitchen sink and Kankuro. She could have tried to escape but it would be no use. Kankuro was strong and he could hurt her again, without noticing. Her body was too fragile to bear his touch. Her hands were behind her back hidden.

Their eyes were locked at each other. His face was so severe with his paint on, it was intimidating. Kaoru saw him opening his mouth slightly like he had something to say. Her eyes moved from his eyes to his mouth. To his thin painted lips. Kankuro slightly smirked.

"You know... I won that bet..." he spoke lowly. Kaoru shivered with his voice. She didn't want to show her hands and arms. She didn't want him to know...

"But..." he said.

Her eyes met his again.

"You don't have to show me if you don't want to."

Their eyes were still locked on each other. He raised his hand with the gloves. Kaoru slid one hand from her back to the front and grabbed the gloves. He gave them to her, without looking down. Always looking at her blue eyes.

He smirked and turned around, leaving a speechless Kaoru alone in the kitchen.

_'What was that?'_

Kaoru finished the rest of the dishes, and put her gloves back on. She made the decision of bury everything that just happened deep inside her, to forget it all. Kankuro was a deceiver. He was tricking her, confusing her. Kaoru didn't trust him, he never acted without a reason. There was always something else behind every word he said.

Kaoru put her poker face on, and went to the living room.

The noise was louder, than she had realized when she was at the kitchen. But as Kaoru advanced to the group, she realized the noise came mostly from two people. The girl from that morning, Sakura and a blond boy.

She seemed very aggressive towards the blond. Then she glanced at Kaoru and her attitude changed.

"Kaoru-san!" Sakura said smiling. Everybody in the room turned to see the sand girl. Kaoru glared the pink haired girl and _fakely_ smiled to her. It wasn't like she hated the girl, it was how normally Kaoru treated people.

"Sakura-san, good to see you again," she said. No one would discover her false smile in a million years. She became a really good actress, in these past ten years.

"Who's the girl?" asked the blond boy.

"Oh, this is Kaoru-chan! She's from Suna, she came with Kankuro," Kiba said. The moment he said 'Kankuro', both sand nins shared a look, which was abruptly broken, by Kiba pulling Kaoru to sit next to him.

Everybody was sitting in a circle around the small coffee table. Kiba introduced everyone to Kaoru. From his team mates, to the blond boy Naruto, to his inconvenient team-mate Sai.

"Nice to meet you Kaoru-san, do you always put a fake smile on?" Sai asked.

Everybody looked shock, except Kankuro that was laughing his ass off. Kaoru was intrigued by the boy, he dared to mock right after meeting her? How could he see through her mask?

'_I have to be careful with that one' _

Sakura grabbed him by his collar shirt.

"You little bastard, show some respect..."

"That's ok Sakura-san. I'll give him his answer. Yes, I always put a fake smile on, when I meet people like you, that _fakely_ smiles too," She responded. The boy slightly blushed but didn't say anything else.

"Kaoru's smile isn't fake. She smiles to show her arrogance. It's not her fault, it's just the way she is," Kankuro said out of nowhere.

"You seemed to know so much about me Kankuro-dono," she answered with undoubtful sarcasm, and an obvious false smile.

"Maybe I know more than you think," he said. Kaoru's fake smile faded away. Her heart started racing, and her hands started to get sweaty inside the gloves.

_'He definitely knows something...'_

Kaoru didn't answer this time.

Soon everyone else was distracted. However Kaoru couldn't help but having a bad feeling.  
>She cursed the puppet master in her head. He knew something and was playing with her, like she was one of his damn puppets. Did he knew about her wounds? Or about what her father did to her? Or... did he knew how she looked like... behind those clothes, those gloves...? Kaoru's thoughts focused on this last part. It was strange the fact he didn't want to watch her hands anymore. Did he somehow already saw them? She glanced at the puppet master. He was on the opposite side of her, he was distracted talking to the Sakura girl and Naruto.<p>

"I have an idea!" Kiba shout interrupting Kaoru's train of thought and left the living room. 5 minutes later he came back with two huge bottles of saké. Everybody stared at him with different expressions, except Kaoru and Sai who were expressionless.

"My mother thinks I don't know where she hides this, she forgets my nose is greater by the day," the dog boy said bringing cups to everybody.

"K-Kiba-kun I d-don't drink." Hinata said.

"I don't drink either," Kaoru added. "Neither does Kankuro-dono."

"WHAT?" the puppeteer asked with an eyebrow raised.

"You're representing Kazekage-sama, you should have some manners," Kaoru replied harshly.

"I'm only representing Gaara starting monday, when the mission begins," He answered annoyed.

"Kaoru-chan let him drink, just a bit. I bet Gaara would drink too, if he was here."

"No, he wouldn't," both Suna shinobis spoke at the same time. Which made them angrier than before.

"Why the hell are you asking her to let me drink? I'm older than her, I can take care of myself."

"Fine, drink and make a fool of yourself, Kankuro-dono. I'm not responsible for anything." Kaoru finally gave up. It was not her intention to argue with the sand nin, after all the strange things he already said and made that day, she only wanted to distance herself from him.

Of course as she expected, the alcohol started make effect on the shinobis. Naruto and Kiba seemed extremely happy, Kankuro kept drinking in his little emo corner, like it was water, Sakura and Sai seemed fine, and so did Hinata. Then there was Shino, that was staring at Kaoru for several minutes now. She noticed it from the beginning but ignored, untill it started to become creepy.

"What?" she tried not to burst towards the Aburame. But somehow it got everybody's attention, once again...

"Something is not normal" he said. Kaoru frowned.

"My insects can't feel you."

"Oh that's because she has chackra seals in her hands... WAIT I gotta an idea!" Kiba said.

'_Another?'_

"Hinata use your byakugan on her."

_'Byakugan? Oh no!'_

Her chackra seals didn't let others to use chackra on/against her. Shino's bugs wouldn't detect her, because they were after her chackra. Akamaru couldn't use his nose against her if nearby because her seals would cancel the energy used by the dog. The byakugan should have the same effect. If they stayed close in less than 3 meters, Kaoru would be fine. She hoped Kiba wouldn't remember that.

The shy girl activated the byakugan and stared at Kaoru. She frowned.

"What do you see Hinata?" Kiba asked.

"I can's see much, I see large concentrations of chackra in Kaoru-san's hands. Also in her stomach."

"Stomach?" Naruto asked, remembering his seal. Kaoru's eyes widen.

_'How can she see that? She's less than 2 meters far from me.'_

"Y-yes... oh."

"What's wrong Hinata?" Naruto asked. Kaoru was afraid she could see her back wounds.

"W-well... I can't really see it clearly, there's too much static, but Kaoru-san your chackra pressure points in your hands are smaller than average," Hinata said.

"I know," Kaoru replied calmly. Of course she knew, it was a "present" from her father.

"D-doesn't it hurt?"

"Hurt? Why would it hurt?" Kiba asked concerned.

"Because," Kankuro's voice startled everyone, he spent the whole night sitting by himself drinking, "if the hole is small, the chackra has to come out in small portions. However chackra has a minimum standard size to come out. If the chackra pressure points are too small, they can explode, because the chackra can't come out properly."

"How do you know about that?" Naruto asked foolishly.

"Because I tried to do the exact opposite, with my fingers.", Kankuro said, "I tried to open my pressure points a little more, so I could be able to use more than one chackra string per finger." He drank from the bottle a huge shot.

"That sounds kinda kinky," Kiba said laughing. Then he smirked to Kaoru.

"Does it hurt?" he asked softly.

"No." she lied " I have an excellent chackra control."

It was true, she was very good controlling the amount of chackra that she released, and she was able to diminish the pain. Still, it was very painful. Her father made a special seal when she was young, that made her chackra points growing slowly. The reason was to control his daughter. If she wasn't able to use chackra at its fullest then she wasn't able to fight back.

Kaoru was starting to feel uncomfortable. She was only in Konoha for a day and they already knew a lot about her, that no one knew in Suna. But somehow it felt... nice. Having actually people curious about her.

The topic eventually ran off, when everybody started to talk about a guy named Sasuke that ran away to seek power with the legendary Sannin Orochimaru. Kaoru knew little about the youngest of the Uchiha, and frankly she didn't care. She knew a few things about Orochimaru, and the sannin quite intrigued her, after all he was the one that killed the former Kazekage.

Kankuro started to get extremely drunk, and like the sand kunoichi predicted, he began to make a fool of himself, and tease her.

"You know Kaoru, you are too stiff, that's why you don't have friends in Suna," the puppet master said wasted.

"As if you are one to talk, you don't friends either. Puppets are not friends." She replied.

"What? At least I have puppets, what do you have Kaoru?"

Kaoru's heart filled with sadness. He was right, what did she had?

"She has me!" a voice said. Kaoru looked at Kiba who was smiling at her.

"Right, Kaoru-chan?" he asked. She blushed and nodded.

Kankuro mumbled something incomprehensible and passed out. Literally, he felt asleep on the floor. As a sign of how late it was, everyone left, and went home.

**0000000000**

Kiba took Kankuro upstairs into his room, and laid the puppet master in his bed. When he walked back downstairs, he saw Kaoru putting some sake in a glass and drink it. She was leaning against the couch with her legs crossed indian style. He sat next to to her.

"I thought you didn't drink."

"I don't drink in front of Kankuro-dono," she replied, "It would be hypocrite of me doing so."

"Why do you call him dono?" Kiba asked glancing the small coffee table, all the cups were in the center of the table, forming a perfect circle. He smiled thinking how cute Kaoru's OCD was. For him, she was very mysterious, he wanted to know more about the girl.

"He's the Kazekage's brother. In Sunagakure he is considered to be nobility," she answered almost as if she was reading it.

"But even so, he's a childhood friend, you are too formal with him," Kiba said also drinking from his cup.

"Childhood friend? What are you talking about?" Kaoru was totally confused.

"He told me you were friends when you were little."

"What is wrong with that guy? I was never friends with him! I only met him in the academy, and we were rivals. We couldn't... can't stand each other," Kaoru said drinking her drink in one shot. Then she refilled the small cup. The sake felt good, even though it was not hot.

"That's what he told me."

"Well, he's a liar then. He likes to mess with me, and make fun of me."

"I noticed, though I think he's cool. I mean he saved my life in the past," Kiba said.

"Mine too, but I also saved him many times too."

Kiba politely smiled. He was sick of talking about Kankuro. He wanted to know more about the girl herself.

"So tell me about yourself," he asked.

"Why?"

"So I can know you a bit better."

"Why don't you tell me about you then? It wouldn't be wise of me telling about me to a stranger." She smiled. There was no way she would talk about her.

"Hmm... what do you wanna know?"

"The same things you want to know about me."

"Ok... I was born and raised here in Konoha, my father ran away scared of my mom, when I was young, so I don't have too many memories about him. I have a sister, she works in a vet center. My best friend is Akamaru and I don't have a girlfriend." he grinned at her. "Your turn."

"Well, I was born and raised in Suna. My mother died... killed herself when I was 5, and I barely remember her. I only know she had the same hair color as me... I don't have siblings, even though my father re-married. My best friend is... no one, and I don't have a boyfriend either." She smiled at him too.

"That's good to know. I mean the last part" Kiba said teasingly. He grabbed Kaoru's free hand, and fondled the silky fabric. Strangely, Kaoru liked being touch like that, somehow she trusted Kiba. He seemed a genuine person.

"Why do you hide your seals?"

"A shinobi must never reveal his hidden weapons," she said.

"But you never take those gloves off, not even when we eat. Me and Kankuro know about your seals. There's no problem when it's just us."

"Kankuro-dono didn't know about it until you found out. I guess you're right, but I'm not really comfortable with that."

"Why not? Do I make you uncomfortable?" he said entwining his fingers on hers.

"Quite the opposite... and honestly it's scaring me," she said griping her fingers in his hand, accepting the gesture.

"Why?" he almost whispered.

"I don't know. No one talks to me like you do. You saw your friends reaction towards me, always asking weird questions and distrust me. It's always like that."

"I think you are mysterious, and I like it, I don't care why you are the way you are, I know I like the way you are."

Kaoru blushed. Never someone said that to her.

"Really? You just met me."

"Yeah, but I can smell if people are good or bad."

"But you can't smell me. It doesn't work on me."

"Even without chackra my nose is still above a normal nose, it's my kekkei genkai. I can smell you if I'm close enough..."

"Really?" they were both close, their shoulders almost touching, "How close?"

"Really close... can I?" he said leaning forward. Kaoru nodded.

Kiba leaned towards Kaoru's neck. He slowly smelled, his breath made her shiver. Her heartbeat was so fast, she was afraid, it would show through her chest. She blushed when Kiba brushed his lips in her sensitive skin. Kaoru hold inside with all her strength a moan.

_'What is this feeling? Am I falling for this boy?'_

Kaoru never had romantic feelings towards anyone. She never had the chance to.

Kiba loved the smell of the girl next to him.

"How do I smell?" she whispered.

"Amazing. Like wild fruits and sand. And iron," he said still, teasing the girl's neck with his lips.

_'Iron?' _

Luckily the boy seemed not to associate the metallic scent to blood. The alcohol seemed to affect a bit his rationality.

"Do you trust me?" he said sliding up his free hand through her arm and grabbing the edge of the long glove.

They looked each other straight in the eye.

"I do," she whispered. She was falling for the guy. He was amazing with her. She was so scared she was letting him see her hands and arms, so he would be disgusted and leave her alone. She didn't want to fall for someone she knew she would suffer for. It was best cut the evil by its roots.

He looked down and slowly took off the glove, Kaoru looked away. She didn't want to see the dog boy's reaction. He caressed her bare arm, she got goose bumps.

"Why would you try to hide these? They're beautiful," Kiba asked.

Kaoru looked at him and then at her arm. From elbow to hand they were full of seal designs, mostly red and black.  
>But beyond those colours they were scarred, craved to the skin.<p>

"Did you cut them?" he asked tracing the seals.

"Kind of," she replied. It wasn't really her that did the scarred seals. It was her demonic father. Those scars were the ones preventing her pressure points from being a normal size.

"I think you shouldn't be ashamed of them. They are like tattoos. We all should be proud of our marks," he said smiling. Kaoru wondered if he was talking about his face, his red fangs. She gently stroke them, his marks with her bare finger. They were so close...

"Kaoru-chan? Can I kiss you?" he asked.

"Kiss me," she said. Her words came out automatically from her mouth.

Kiba cupped her cheek with one hand, and he pressed his lips in her lips. Kaoru kissed back. Part of her was unsure, and wanted to stop. But another part of her, wanted it all. Wanted to experience something behind pain and sadness.

This was the first time she was being herself, and making a decision without thinking about the others.  
>It was the first time she was feeling warm coming form another human being. The first time, someone was making her feel good. His gentle touches through her arm made her deepen the kiss, by grabbing his hair. Kiba, without breaking the kiss took of the other glove, and let her put her arms around his neck. He pushed her closer to him, wrapping his arms around her waist.<p>

The purple haired girl, and the Inuzuka boy were kissing in the middle of the room. Upstairs in the hallway right next to the stairs, were the hallway turns, was Kankuro listening to everything that just happened...

**To be continued...**

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><p><strong>Review if you can please!<strong>


	7. The purple side

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto.

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><p>Chapter 7 - <em><strong>The purple side<strong>_

_**'In the beginning...'**_

"Kaoru-chan! Look what I got!"

"What Kuro-kun?"

The little boy grinned and showed Kaoru a small box. He opened the box, and the small girl gasped in surprise and joy, after seeing what was inside.

_**'It was all so simple...'**_

"Who gave you that?" she asked with her eyes wide open.

"My dad."

"Can we use it?" she asked bouncing back and forth in her own feet.

"Yeah, what animal do you want to be? It can only be white and black, I don't have anymore colors."

"Hmm...a panda!" she happily jumped.

"I wanna be a black panther!"

"No! You can't choose black panther, you will be all black. That's not fun!"

"Then what should I be?"

"A zebra!"

"What? No way! I want a feline!"

"No! Zebra is funnier to paint." the girl sat next to the boy on the floor. She put her index finger inside the box. The box was full of black and white paint. She giggled and started to paint the boy's face zebra patterns.

_**'There were no worries...**_

_**No responsibilities...**_

_**No shame...'**_

The boy also painted the girl's face. Black eyes, black nose and black mouth, everything else white.

"Next paint I will ask my father, will be the color of your hair."

"Why? The others will make fun of you." she asked concerned.

"I don't care. They already make fun of me."

_**'We were naive...'**_

"They think I don't know how to fight, but I do," the boy said frustrated.

"No, you don't!"

"Yes, I do!"

"Then fight me!" the girl shout.

The two children wrestled in the sandy park. They tickled each other, and they laughed rolling in the floor.

_**'We knew hate...'**_

"Look Kankuro is fighting a girl!"

"You're so gay!"

"FAG!"

"Don't call me that!" the painted boy yelled.

"What's a fag?" Kaoru asked.

"It's a boy who likes other boys," replied one of the bullies.

"I'M NOT A FAG!" Kankuro yelled again.

"Yes you are! You can't fight, and you like to play with makeup!"

"It's face pain!" the girl defended. "And he's not a fag!"

"Prove it!"

_**'... and love...'**_

"He likes me! And I like him!" the girl burst. The boys laughed at them.

"So you are his girlfriend?" one of them asked.

"Yes!" she replied. The boys kept laughing. Furious, Kaoru grabbed the zebra painted face boy and she kissed him. The others laughed and left, without saying anything else.

"What was that?" Kankuro asked, touching his lips.

"That's what my mom said boyfriends and girlfriends do," she answered.

_**'We were honest...**_

_**with nothing to hide...'**_

"Are you my girlfriend?"

"I dunno, but I can be."

"Ok... wanna play animals?" the boy grinned. The girl grinned too.

_**'We trusted each other with our hearts...**_

_**'I only need you...we silentely said...'**_

Soon, it was almost night. They both said goodbyes.

"I'm gonna show my mom, my panda face! BYE!"

"Bye!" the boy ran home. It was pretty late, when he arrived men with masks were talking to his father. The ANBU left the moment they saw the child.

"Where have you been?" the Kazekage asked.

"Dad I was playing animals with Kaoru-chan," he replied rubbing the back of his head nervously.

"The Kurokaze girl?" his father asked frowning. He wasn't angry, he was suspicious.

"Yeah..."

_**'I can feel your pain, and I want to heal it...'**_

The Kazekage ruffled his son's hair. Kankuro knew he only did that when something bad happened.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Your friend's mother is dead," his father's words didn't seem real.

_**'No matter how alone I am, I will always be there waiting...'**_

Everyday Kankuro went to the park and waited for Kaoru. But she never came. He went to her house, but no one answered.

_**'Death was so complicated back then...**_

_**How can it change so much a person?'**_

In the academy, he saw her. That wonderful purple hair flying behind her back. He ran towards her.

"Kaoru-chan!"

The girl turned and looked at the boy, the sparkle in her eyes was gone. They were empty. She turned her head and left the boy speechless.

_**'I never understood what happened that day...**_

_**What I saw...**_

_**But what I felt... was beyond sadness, beyond pain...**_

_**My heart broke in a thousand pieces, in a thousand different ways...**_

_**Kaoru was gone...**_

_**I only need you, we said...'**_

**0000000000**

_**'That feeling beyond sadness, beyond pain...**_

_**in the end it was all in vain...**_

"Kaoru-chan? Can I kiss you?" Kiba asked

"Kiss me," she answered.

_**'In the beginning it was all so simple,**_

_**As I sit here, I can see that now.**_

_**I can see how I wasted my life.**_

_**Kaoru died that day, those empty eyes...**_

_**She was gone, my Kaoru...**_

_**I lost you and now you were found by another...**_

_**That day we were both broken...**_

_**I always thought we were still broken...**_

_**Am I alone now? Am I the only one who's broken?'**_

"Am I the only one broken?" Kankuro whispered. He glanced at the kissing couple and moved through the hallway, to the bathroom. He knelt down at the toilet and threw up.

Kankuro wasn't someone who showed weakness. He would bury his feelings inside so deep, he would eventually forget them. At least it's what he expected.

He washed his face and his face paint smudged his hands. That purple color...

He sighed in defeat, he was doomed. They would always be there, his feelings... They would always be showed in his face, in those purple lines. Yes, those feelings would never go way. He just had to deal with them.

After taking a shower and cleaning himself, Kankuro got out of the bathroom. He saw Kaoru and Kiba coming from downstairs, so he quickly hid in Kiba's room. He couldn't face them in that state. The horrible thought of Kiba spending the night in her room came to his mind, but soon ended when Kiba returned to the room.

"You're awake?" Kiba asked rhetorically, since Kankuro was standing up.

"Yeah, I had to take a bath. I'm gonna sleep now," the puppet master said quickly, he didn't want to give the opportunity to Kiba to talk about the kiss he shared with Kaoru. He laid on his bed and covered his body and face with his blanket.

Kiba took off his clothes and turned off the lights, and laid on his own bed.

"Kankuro? I think I'm falling for Kaoru..."

The puppet master remained silent, pretending to be asleep...

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><p><strong>To be continued...<strong>


	8. Opposites attracted

**Disclaimer **- I don't own Naruto!

* * *

><p>Chapter 8 - <em><strong>Opposites attracted<strong>_

Kaoru woke up with a huge smile. The night before, she had her first kiss. And it was amazing! For the first time, the sand kunoichi wanted to jump and giggle like a school girl. She was falling in love, and that feeling filled every little hole in her damaged heart.

"I love Konoha," she whispered to herself.

She glanced at her side and Akamaru was lying down next to her, once again. The dog seemed to enjoy sleeping with her. She petted his head and he slowly woke up, rolling back down, so his belly was up. She started to ruffle his fur and he seemed to enjoy it.

Akamaru then started to lick her face and that made her laugh really loud. After several minutes of "fighting" and playing with the dog nin. Someone knocked the door. Before Kaoru could answer, the door opened. Kiba leaned against the door frame.

"Isn't that a great scene or what?" Kiba said grinning. Akamaru was almost on top of Kaoru, and they both looked embarrassed at Kiba. Akamaru ran towards his master, and barked.

"Is that so, boy?" Kiba replied.

Akamaru barked some more. Kaoru watched the boy and the dog talking with each other. It was quite amusing, she chuckled and got Kiba's attention. The leaf shinobi smirked and moved into the bed. He sat next to Kaoru and kissed her. She blushed a bit, but kissed back. He grabbed her head, entangling his fingers in her hair. He kissed her cheek, then her jaw, and then her neck. He sniffed her neck, and moaned.

"You smell so good," he said. Kaoru blushed and pulled him in to another kiss, this time Kiba parted her lips with his tongue guaranteeing it's entrance in the girl's mouth. Kaoru may never french kissed before, but she knew that kiss was the sexiest kiss. Their tongues licking each other, tasting each other like there was no tomorrow. Kiba pulled Kaoru gently into his lap and intensified the kiss.

Akamaru started to bark loud, to break the kiss. And he was successful. Kiba laughed.

"Don't be jealous Akamaru!" the dog barked in response.

"What did he say?" Kaoru asked curious.

"That I stole you from him," Kiba replied. The girl laughed at the white dog and petted him.

Akamaru barked some more, and left.

"I made breakfast, come," Kiba said with a huge smile, pulling her out of bed.

"I have to get dressed, wait."

"You don't need to!" Kiba said. Kaoru was in her black pajamas, which were longs pants and a t-shirt. She grabbed her gloves from the dresser, but Kiba took them away.

"You don't need that either! Come," He pulled her to the kitchen. Kaoru was so happy. Never in her life she would imagine, that she would wake-up in a such a good way. She really liked the guy that was grabbing her hand. It didn't matter if he was from another village, or if it was a small romance kind of thing. In that moment she just wanted to go with the flow. To savour every bit of it.

Kaoru was so distracted with the dog boy, she didn't realize that Kankuro was already in the kitchen sitting at the table. The puppet master's jaw almost hit the floor when she saw the kunoichi enter the kitchen. Her hair flowed behind her back. But he put himself together quickly, when he saw Kiba holding her hand. He tried not to stare at them, when he noticed the tattooed seals in her hands and arms. He looked away with all his will power.

After a while Kaoru noticed the puppeteer, he was sitting at the edge of the table eating breakfast. She sat on the table across him, while Kiba fed Akamaru. She waited for the puppeteer to say something about her arms, but he didn't say anything. In fact it was like he was avoiding looking at her. His silence was killing Kaoru.

_'Why are you so silent?_

_Break me, like you always do.'_

"Hangover?" she cut the silence. Kankuro looked at her and nodded. He kept looking at her for a minute, then he smirked.

_'Here it comes._

_Break me in pieces.'_

"Kaoru?"

"Yes?"

"I knew your hair wasn't straight."

"What?" Kaoru asked. Somehow she forgot about her hair. Kiba made her forget about how she _should _be looking.

"Your hair is naturally wavy," he continued. Kaoru blushed, she would never use her hair loose and wavy. Her father didn't let her, because_ "she would attract the wrong kind of attention from men"._

"Yeah, I forgot the blow dryer in Suna," she said.

"You look better like that," he said with a small smile. Then he looked away. Kaoru was shocked.

_'What's wrong with you Kankuro?'_

After breakfast, Kiba convinced Kaoru to go for a walk, Kankuro insisted staying home because of his hangover, and he had to work on his new puppet. Kaoru went to her room and changed her bandages. Her wounds were getting better, except for the stab injury which seemed to be even more infected. She put some of the ointment Sakura made her buy on it. The ointment seemed to have an anesthetic effect because the pain was nothing compared to a few days ago, or maybe she was just getting used to the pain. She dressed her shinobi outfit and put her forehead protector. She brushed her hair and parted it in three sections to braid it, but she remembered Kankuro's words.

_"You look better like that"_

She decided to let it loose. Kaoru knew that this was probably going to be the only time in her life she could be herself. She decided in that very moment, that she wouldn't care about details while she stayed in Konoha. She planned to take advantage of every minute in that month, she didn't care the consequences with her father. He wouldn't find out anyway, right?

**0000000000**

Kiba was a teaser. He teased everybody about everything. In fights, he would tease the opponent, in missions he would tease the client, at home he would tease his mother, when going out he teased his friends. Kiba was a teaser by nature.

But since he met Kaoru his teasing evolved to another level. He never teased someone romantically, or for his own sake. In the past he always teased to confront authority, to show his independence, his way as a leader.

However the sand Kunoichi trigged something inside him, that he hadn't felt before. Of course he had a few crushes and had made out with some girls before, but with Kaoru was different. He actually felt like he should_ please_ the girl.

Never Kiba put someone before him, on the exception of his dog. Not even his team mates. For him they were all at his level. But Kaoru... Her hair, her eyes, her mouth, her presence... She mesmerized him, from the first time he saw her.

Kiba didn't want to admit but the whole idea of existing someone so powerful over him, someone who could make him do anything they wanted, was terrifying.

But he wasn't a coward, and his animalistic side said he should go ahead with the girl. Somehow he had nothing to lose. If things went wrong, he only had to bear with her for a month, then she would go to Suna and probably they would never see each other again. But what if it turned out to be alright? What if he was really falling in love?

Kiba glanced at the sand Kunoichi at his side, as they both walk through the park.

Kaoru looked impeccable.

Even with her hair flying behind her back, her posture was magnificent. No one could pass by her, without noticing how royal she was. He smiled to himself. He was falling for her.

_'I'll ask Kankuro for his help.'_

Both shinobis spent the whole morning walking around Konoha, and knowing each other. The more they talked, the more they realized how different they were. But that made them more attracted to each other.

Kaoru never met someone so free spirit; in Suna everybody was so stiff like her and so serious about everything. Kiba on the other hand, - not only him, but Konoha shinobis in general were so... human. They acted by human instinct. Shinobis should be emotionless, but in Konoha they were all so kind, they weren't afraid of showing love and compassion. And Konoha was one of the best militar forces worldwide. And Kiba represented that. She loved how the boy spoke his mind, how he acted goofy and playful almost all the time, everywhere. He was a bit cocky, true. But his ego was nothing compared to Kankuro's.

Kaoru compared Kiba to Kankuro when they were sharing an ice cream, that the leaf chunin kindly paid for. Kiba was kind towards her, he complimented her and smiled to her all the time. His touch was gentle and his kisses were amazing.

Kankuro always made fun of her, and always hurt her, even when he didn't mean. He seemed to exist only to torment her. Even though, lately he had been acting weird.

Kaoru's face frowned when she thought about the puppet master. He was a big head ache, that's what he was.

Kiba noticed her.

"Is everything ok?" he asked. She smiled and answered yes. They continued to talk knowing each other.

"So what's your biggest fear?" Kaoru asked.

"Nice try, but a true shinobi has no fears," he _cockyly_ said.

"Everybody is afraid of something, tell me I won't tell anyone," she said clinging on his arm, the boy couldn't resist her.

"Ok, I'll tell you, but you can't laugh, ok?" he asked. The sand nin nodded.

"I promise I won't!"

"I'm afraid of big cats," he said blushing and looking away.

"What? You are afraid of cats? But you are dog-like, aren't dogs supposed to chace cats?" Kaoru asked chuckling.

"Oh you promised you wouldn't laugh! And it's not cats! It's big felines. Like tigers and leopard and panthers."

"Aw, I love panthers!" she said, " It's my favourite animal!"

"I thought you were a dog person..." he said making sad puppy dog eyes.

"I'm an animal person. I love all animals!" she touched the boy's messy brown hair trying to make it standing right. Kiba smirked, he loved her OCD, specially when she touched his hair.

"What about you? What's your biggest fear?" he asked the girl.

Kaoru looked at the boy carefully. She had to hide well, her true emotions.

_'My father...'_

"My biggest fear is... to lose control," she answered, "I think that if I control every single thing in my life, I won't be hurt. Even when I am hurt, at least I know it's not my fault, because I did everything I could to make things perfect."

"If you make things perfect, how could you be hurt?" the dog boy asked. His eyes rested on Akamaru that was lying next to his feet.

"I mean...", his eyes turned to her, "How could you be afraid of getting hurt when you are perfect?"

_'I'm perfect...?'_

Kiba leaned forward and pressed his forehead against hers. Both forehead protectors touching.

"Don't worry... I won't let you get hurt," he whispered and then kiss her. Kaoru was speechless. No one ever said that would protect her. Her father words echoed in her mind.

_'Why do you keep screaming?_

_No one will ever come to you..._

_No one will save you..._

_You know why?_

_Because nobody will ever love you...'_

A silent tear felt through her face. Kiba kissed Kaoru passionately, he cupped her cheek with his hand and felt something wet. He broke the kiss and saw that the wetness he felt was a tear. Before he could say anything, Kaoru spoke.

"Thank you."

Kiba smiled. He didn't know why the girl cried, but he felt like he shouldn't ask about it. He hugged the girl, and they both walked back home.

**0000000000**

Kankuro was bored. He worked on his new puppet Sasori, but he didn't feel like it anymore. The mixture between hangover and melancholy was making him depressed. Kiba and Kaoru were gone for a while now, and he felt extremely alone in that house. The puppet master was tired of waiting for them, so he decided to go for a walk by himself.

It wasn't like he knew the village. In fact he had been there just a few times, and it was always in missions or serious matters. He decided to go to where he knew which was the market streets. Maybe he could find a merchant that sold puppet parts.

It took him some time but he finally arrived at his destiny. After seeing a couple of shops and buying a few items he needed, he saw a familiar face. He wasn't really on the mood to talk to someone, but the person saw him and called his name.

"Kankuro-san!"

"Hey Sakura."

"Doing some shopping I see," the girl said smiling.

"Yeah, I was bored alone at Kiba's so I decided to come for a walk."

"Alone? What about Kiba and Kaoru-san?" she asked.

"They went walk Akamaru."

"Oh, I see. By the way, yesterday I forgot to ask Kaoru-san, did she liked the healing ointment I recommended?" Sakura asked.

"Healing ointment?" Kankuro asked clueless of what she was talking about.

"Yes! Oh maybe she didn't use it, I mean I deduced she would use it, because she bought so many bandages. I thought she was hurt, or someone at least was hurt," Sakura said.

The puppeteer didn't say anything.

_'Bandages? Healing ointment?_

_Didn't she said she was going to by "girl stuff"?'_

"Well I have to go, bye Kankuro-san."

"Yo, Kankuro what are you doing here?" a voice came from behind the puppet master. It was Kiba and Kaoru was at his side. She looked at the puppet master and then at Sakura.

"Hey Kiba! Hey Kaoru-san" Sakura greeted then left.

Kankuro ignored the leaf kunoichi leaving. His attention was focused at the purple haired girl. Was the sand girl hiding something from him? Why she would lie about buying medical items? It was normal a shinobi buying those things, so why lie about it? His mind thought about a million excuses for her to lie, until he thought the worst one. Was... was she hurt?

Kaoru noticed how Kankuro was staring at her, his eyes showed something. Sadness, anger or... pity? Kaoru froze. Why would he feel pity? Did he knew something? About her father? Without noticing her poker face was lost. Her eyes were almost pleading for Kankuro to stop looking. Both eye contact was broke by Kiba speaking.

"Let's go home, I'll make lunch for us."

Both sand shinobis were silent. They followed the younger boy and his dog. Kankuro felt something was wrong. He had a gut feeling that something terrible was about to happen, that... if it wasn't already happening.

**To be continued...**

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><p><strong>Reviews are welcomed =)<strong>


	9. Yondaime's seal

**Disclaimer** - I don't own Naruto.

(WARNING - A lot of cursing going on)

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><p>Chapter 9 - <em><strong>Yondaime's seal<strong>_

Kankuro stared at the girl, every chance he could. He glared at her from behind, at the corner of his eye, or even straight forward when she talked. He tried to figure out if she had some kind of injury.

Two days ago he would swear it was her arms and hands, but after seeing that she was only hiding some seals, his reason seemed to lose its way. It wasn't like she looked hurt. In fact she looked perfectly fine, like always.

Kaoru was laughing about something Kiba said. The puppet master never saw Kaoru laughing like that. Only when they were kids. He hated the fact Kiba was having some kind of relationship with her, but she looked so happy... Kaoru never laughed or smiled liked that to or with him. Instead she was always cold. Maybe he should be out of this. _Keep the feelings buried deep inside of his soul_, like he promised himself.

They arrived at Kiba's house. Kankuro decided to lock himself in Kiba's room and continue to work on his puppet again. He didn't want to see them. He needed his space, to be alone, to think through things.

The day passed by fast. Kaoru prepared herself mentally for the mission, next day. Not that she knew what was about it, but since the Hokage asked Suna for an expert in sealing, it was obvious that the mission was about sealing or unsealing something.

Kaoru was always nervous before missions, and that showed through her OCD. It seemed to intensify a thousand times. Of course Kaoru didn't even realize that. Her mind only focused on the Hokage, and what her mission was supposed to be. She tried not to think about it before, and Kiba definitely helped her forget about the mission.

But now all the worries were coming at once. Maybe she shouldn't have been so unpreocuppied about it. Panick started to burn inside her. As she frantically gathered her things ready for the next day, she recited the seals she knew in her head.

**0000000000**

Kiba came to his room still wet from his bath. Kankuro was still working in his red-haired puppet. The dog boy sighed.

"Man, don't you get tired of playing with that? You've been here all day around that thing," Kiba said dressing some black loose pants.

"No," the sand nin, simply answered, without looking and the younger boy.

"At least go eat something, you've been here all day..."

"He almost killed me."

"What?" Kiba asked confused about Kankuro's randomness.

"Him," Kankuro said picking his puppet, "He almost killed me. It's funny that now I own him. He left me in desert to die from his poison and now I have his lifeless body in my hands... I think that this is what some people call poetic justice."

Kiba stood there still confused. He forgot how Kankuro was a strange guy. He was strong true, and he was a good ally, but he was really weird. _'I mean he talks to his puppets...'_

Suddenly, realization came to his mind.

"Wait! That's the Akatsuki guy that attacked you and your brother?" Kiba asked a little disgusted.

"Well, he didn't attack physically Gaara, but yeah."

"And now you have his body as your puppet? That's freaky," Kiba said looking closer to the puppet.

"He destroyed my other puppets, so now I took over him to replace. It's not like I'm taking from him something that doesn't belong to me," Kankuro said with his sarcastic tone. Kiba raised an eyebrow, but didn't follow what the Jonin was saying. Quite the opposite.

"Hmm...Ok... Kankuro?"

"What?"

"Can you help me make myself good in front of Kaoru-chan?" Kiba asked innocently.

"Why would I do that?" Kankuro said trying to hide his angry state.

"Well, I'm kinda clumsy in what comes to girls, and I really don't want to mess up things with her, and you are the only one that knows her enough to help me! So... Please, please, please!" Kiba asked making puppy sad eyes. Kankuro glared at him. Did the dog-boy just begged him? Did the cockiest leaf shinobi he knew just begged him because of Kaoru? Kankuro just wanted to punch the damn chunin. What the hell did he think he was doing.

"Yeah, whatever..." Kankuro forcefully said.

"Nice! Just help me look good in front of her," Kiba said.

"Like the fact that you pretend to be the one that makes the pancakes she loves at breakfast?" Kankuro asked coldly.

"Yeah! You didn't say anything, so I continued to play along. Are you mad I stole your credits?" Kiba grinned. Kankuro felt like he was being mocked, but he knew the dog-boy didn't mean it that way.

"No, she probably wouldn't eat them if she knew I was the one that made them." Kankuro felt his heart tightened. He had felt that a lot lately, and it should be used to it by now, but the pain seemed to be worse by the minute.

"I'm gonna go eat something," the puppet master said. Not that he was hungry he just wanted to get away from Kiba.

Kankuro left the room closing the door behind him. He wanted to explode, to beat up someone so badly that wouldn't be recognized, to scream so loud he wouldn't be able to speak after... He wanted to let it all out. He passed by Kaoru's room, and the door was slightly opened. He stopped and peaked inside. He saw Kaoru folding what it seemed to be clothes. She folded once and then unfolded, and then folded again. She repeated that at least three times with each piece of clothing. A small bark came from inside, and Kankuro saw Akamaru, that was on the floor next to Kaoru looking at him. The girl also looked at him.

_'Crap she caught me looking.'_

Kaoru didn't say anything. Kankuro just stood there for a few seconds, then walked away. Kaoru was confused about what happened, but her mind was so occupied, she didn't really pay attention. It was late and she had to sleep. Next day her mission would start.

**0000000000**

Early mornings in Konoha were similar to Suna's. The gentle and slightly colder breeze awakened every sense of Kaoru's body. She wasn't a morning person, but she loved to feel that wonderful wind in her face while in an empty street. And being able to watch the sunrise from another country was amazing. The sunrise in Konoha was gigantic compared to Suna's, and Suna was well known for its big sun.

Kiba also looked good at morning. He told Kaoru how he usually wakes up early to walk Akamaru and make some exercise. He was definitely a morning person.

Kankuro however, looked tired, and even with his face paint, the signs of lack of sleep were shown. He couldn't care less about being a morning or afternoon person. In fact he was very chameleonic about it. If he had to wake up early he would do it, if he had to stay up all night, he would do it too. It was simple, if he had to, he would do it. So, the reason why Kankuro looked so messed up, was the two shinobis in front of him, specially the boy. Back in Suna he never felt so uneasy about Kaoru. He only started to have strange thoughts when Kiba came to the scene.

Kiba brought all the emotions Kankuro always tried to hide, to the surface... At least now he had the mission, something to occupy his mind from the dog-boy... or Kaoru.

They soon arrived at the Hokage's mansion, and they were right away received by the Hokage herself.

"Kiba you can go now," Tsunade said.

"What?" Kiba asked surprised.

"You're not part of their mission, you are just their host. Now go home," Tsunade said with her bossy tone. Kiba grunted and left.

"I hope you guys are enjoying being here," she said. Both sand nins nodded.

They followed the blonde woman, to a distant room in the last floor. Tsunade stopped in front of the door and made handseals, then concentrated her chackra and put her hand in the middle of the door. Seals took over the door, and Kaoru smirked.

_'Konoha security seals are so weak...'_

Tsunade entered the room and the sand nins followed. The room had a huge desk in the middle with some chairs around. The walls were covered by books and scrolls. It resembled a library. Tsunade closed the door and turned to the two shinobis.

"First of all, I think I don't have to say that this mission is confidential. If there's a breach of information or any kind of betrayal, the peace treaty between Konoha and Suna can be jeopardized. We got that clear?"

Kaoru and Kankuro said yes.

"Now for the mission. We have been doing research about cancelling a kinjutsu. Well, not really cancel, but undo the forbidden jutsu."

"Is the kinjutsu a fuin jutsu?" Kaoru asked.

"Yes."

"Well, when something is sealed, the user of the jutsu can unsealed it," Kaoru said.

"Yes, however this is different. Because this jutsu seals the user's soul along whatever the user wants to seal. Which results in the user's death," Tsunade explained.

"That's more complicated. If the user is dead, the chances to reopen the seal are scarce. And to unseal a soul, it's impossible," Kaoru said. Kankuro agreed with the last part.

"We don't want to unseal a soul. We want to unseal what the person sealed with him."

"And what is that?" Kankuro asked.

"The Yin half of the Kyuubi," Tsunade said smirking. Kankuro frowned and Kaoru was simply shocked, even though she made her face expressionless as always.

"I thought the Kyuubi was inside of a host," Kaoru said.

"And it is. 16 years ago, when the Kyuubi attacked Konoha, the Yondaime Hokage defeated the Bijuu, by sealing it inside of a child. However, Kyuubi's power was so immense, Yondaime had to weaken it. And the only way was to use the Shiki Fujin, the Dead demon consuming seal. He died from this act."

"Why didn't he seal the whole Kyuubi? It could have saved some trouble for Naruto," Kankuro said. Kaoru glared at Kankuro.

"Naruto, the blondy? He's the host of the nine-tailed fox?" she asked.

"Yes," Tsunade answered, "The original idea was to seal the whole Kyuubi, but even such a powerful seal, wasn't enough to hold, the bijuu's power. So Minato decided to seal the Yang half on Naruto and the other with Kinjutsu."

"So you want to us... well Kaoru, find a way to unseal the Yin half of Kyuubi's chackra?" Kankuro asked, making sure he understood everything.

"Yes. That and then there's a second part," she paused.

"There's a reason why we want to do this. Since the Kazegake was kidnapped by the Akatsuki, we are trying to find a way to take off the bijuu inside Naruto."

"Wouldn't that kill him?" Kankuro asked remembering about his brother.

"Yes, that's why we asked you for your help. Our researches showed us that maybe there's a way to remove a bijuu from the Jinchuriki. But for that we need the Yin half." Tsunade sighed, "This could protect Naruto, the Akatsuki would leave him alone."

The Hokage stood silent for a while.

"Hokage-sama?" Kaoru asked.

"Yes?"

"Did anyone tried to unseal the kinjutsu?"

"No, but I trust you will find a way." Tsunade smiled, "We will do this by parts. First find a way to recover the goods, then we take care about Kyuubi. Ah, please don't tell Naruto about this, like I said earlier, it's only between us three and the Kazekage. No counselors or advisers. Just us. You can work here all day, I prepared this room myself, all the information about the matter is on those books and scrolls around. I'll make sure to bring you lunch. Take as much time as you need, don't need to rush things."

And with that she left. Kankuro took off his scrolls and put them on the side of the table.

"You think you can handle this?" Kankuro asked at the Kunoichi.

"I don't know... You think you can read all the this?" she asked pointing at the thousands of books and scrolls.

"Fuck... we are going to stay here for the rest of our lives...", Kankuro sighed. Kaoru sat down and took of an empty scroll from her bag. She wrote and drew a huge seal. Then she gave it to Kankuro.

"What's this?" the puppet master asked.

"A seal."

"No shit..." he answered sarcastically.

"Search for that seal," she said ignoring the rude tone of Kankuro.

And so they started to go through Tsunade's research. They spent the whole morning and afternoon in it. Tsunade came only to bring them lunch, which was the only pause they did. The afternoon soon started to fade away into night.

"Argh... This is so fucking exhausting. My head can't handle much more," Kankuro complained.

"It's surprising that it can handle something at all..." Kaoru replied reading a book.

Kankuro smirked to himself. That was the typical Kaoru answer, maybe things hadn't changed after all...

**To be continued...**

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><p><strong>Reviews are welcomed^^<strong>


	10. What the fuck have you done Kiba'

Disclaimer - I DON'T OWN NARUTO!

(WARNING! This is rated M for CURSING, BLOOD and sexual references. Also it's a sour chapter...)

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><p>Chapter 10 - <em><strong>'What the fuck have you done Kiba?'<strong>_

"We should go home. There's no point do this kind of work tired," Kankuro said to Kaoru. The girl was focused in a pile of opened scrolls. Of course the pile was completely organized. Compared to his side of the desk, Kaoru's side was really neat.

"I'm not even sure if there's a point of doing this," Kaoru replying, before kicking herself mentally because she just complained about a mission, especially to a "superior". She should know better, she knew she had to put her feelings aside in matters like missions. Especially in front of another shinobi. She should not complain!

"Why do you think that?" the puppet master asked.

"Well... I don't think this jutsu can be undone. And even if it could be, the user would probably lose his life."

"Can't you do anything about it? Like trick the Death God(1) or something."

"Trick the Death God?" Kaoru asked, with an eyebrow up. Her face clearly showing pure shock.

"For Kami's sake Kaoru was just an idea..." Kankuro said annoyed by the girl's reaction. She didn't need to react like that...

"A brilliant idea!"

"Whatev- wait what?" Kankuro was surprised. Was she mocking him?

"That's brilliant. If we could find a way to substitute the user's soul by something else, maybe we can actually do this without sacrificing anyone!" she looked through the window thoughtful. Kaoru seemed so serene when she was thinking. Her blue eyes, almost on fire, with the gold of the sunset hitting them.

_'That's it Kankuro, no more thinking about Kaoru. She doesn't like you, and this is all a waste of time.'_

There was no way he would give in to that girl. She detested him, and ignored him, since the Academy days. There was nothing good about her. Maybe she looked cute with her hair looking so natural like that, but that's it. She wasn't even fun. There was no way Kankuro would continue this crap. He was Kankuro, one of the most scary and mean shinobis from Suna, the brother of the Kazekage, the puppeteer prodigy that went after two Akatsuki members alone and managed to survive. He was Kankuro the guy that hated kids, and immature people, he was the guy that hated being underestimated. Yes, he was someone big and important in Suna, Kaoru was nothing compared to him, had no power towards him. He couldn't let himself continue with such thoughts.

His thought process was interrupted by a knock on the door, Tsunade opened it.

"It's late you can go to Kiba's now. Tomorrow you can't come, there will be an important meeting, so no outer shinobis will be allowed in the building. See you after tomorrow."

Kaoru and Kankuro left the Hokage building without saying anything, both with different reasons.

Kankuro because of his decision to not "giving in" to Kaoru, and the kunoichi because she couldn't stop thinking about the mission.

Her thoughts focused on the little things about that kinjutsu(2), the missing details that she couldn't find answers, no matter how much she thought about them. She was stressing about it, and with reason. Kaoru was smart enough to know that was nearly impossible to undo that jutsu.

And she didn't even wanted to think about the second part of the mission.

As she walk at the, now, dark streets of Konoha, Kaoru noticed something, and stopped. She looked at Kankuro. Her eyes were focused at his scrolls in his back.

_'What the...'_

Kankuro realized he was walking alone. He looked back and saw Kaoru glaring.

"What?" the puppeteer asked.

"Didn't your puppets got destroyed by Sasori?"

"So?"

"What do you have in those scrolls?" Kaoru asked feeling a bit stupid for not noticing it earlier.

"I have more puppets you know? Than the ones Sasori destroyed, even though they were my favorites...", he said almost offended by the question.

"Hmm... okay."

They both kept walking in silence, the streets were mute compared to the day. It seemed like Konoha's nightlife was almost nonexistent. After half an hour of walking, both shinobis realized, something was wrong. From Kiba's house, to the Hokage mansion, it took about twenty minutes walking. The more they walked the bigger the tension grew, none of them wanted to speak what they were thinking. That, because the first one to admit the terrible situation they were in, was going to show weakness. And as they grew up competing with each other in every aspect related to the capacities of a shinobi, they would never admit something as simple as the fact they didn't know where Kiba's house was. Yes, they were completely lost.

As they kept walking towards god knows where, Kaoru started to get impatient. Konoha was so different at night, it was hard to recognize the streets. After 15 more minutes of walking, they passed through the same street they did almost half an hour before.

"Kaoru I'm not sure your purple head noticed but we are lost," Kankuro said trying to sound as apathetic as possible.

"We? I've been following you!" Kaoru said angry, there was no way she would be blamed for this.

"What? I'm the one following you!" he said with a slight louder tone.

"Don't runaway from your flaws! You do anything to not get blame for your incompetence!" Kaoru said louder. She didn't mean to be so mean, but the words just slipped out of her mouth. Against Kankuro she would always be less controlled. He knew how to drive her mad, and she fell for it every single time.

"What the fuck? If you are so good compared to me then why didn't you tell that we were lost in the first place? You are the one that runs away every time something bad happens. How many times did I saved your ass in missions? You can't do anything alone!"

"Why the heck did you come up with that? As I remember clearly I also saved your.. butt plenty of times. What you did was just what any other shinobi would do. Don't make yourself look bigger than you are. You are not that great!", Kaoru also knew how to hit him where it hurt most, his big ego.

_'Don't make me say it...'_

Kankuro clenched his fist, he wouldn't hurt the girl, but he sure wanted to scare her, he punched the wooden wall nearby, and the wood cracked around his fist. Kaoru remained in her place, with her emotionless face. That lack of emotion that the puppeteer hated more than anything. He tried to calm himself, he had to think carefully, before exposing reckless words he may regretted later. But he wouldn't dare to let her have the final word. He calmed down, and Kaoru notice the change in his eyes, something was about to happen and she knew she was not going to like it.

"And who the hell are you to tell me what should I do or not? I'm the head of the puppet's corp in Suna, the brother and right hand of the Kazekage, how dare you to not acknowledge me as great?" he said with a cold calm voice.

Kaoru wasn't intimidate by him, but his dark voice sent shivers through her spine.

"Acknowledge what? That you almost got killed by a greater puppeteer than you will ever be? The fact he died less than a week after and it was not by your hands? That you are YOUR BROTHER's right hand? Kankuro-dono grow up a bit will you, everybody knows that you stand where you are now, because your brother pulled some strings. You are in his shadow and you will always be. You are his little puppet," Kaoru said with her emotionless voice. Those words sounded like daggers filled with poison.

_'I said it...'_

Kankuro's mind burst, being called a puppet was way out of line, but being called his brother's puppet was something he couldn't forgive.

"You have a lot of nerve... calling me a puppet..." Kankuro's voice was low and shaky, Kaoru got the impression it was the calm before the storm. "You say Gaara pulled some strings for me to be where I am, but what about you? You are... YOU ARE A FUCKING HYPOCRITE! You are just where you are, just a Jonin because your father pleaded to Gaara. No one even knows you're name in Suna, your just the daughter of a hero. If it wasn't for Kurokaze-sama, you wouldn't have even become a kunoichi. You say I will always be in my brother's shadow? Well, you will always live in your father's, and frankly you disgrace his name. You are just a little piece of shit compared to him." the moment Kankuro spoke these words, he regret it. Kaoru didn't say anything. He knew he crossed the line.

_'Now go, useless piece of shit.' _She remembered the last thing her father said before coming to Konoha. She couldn't retaliate Kankuro's words. It was true, what he said- what both said. She would always be in her father's shadow. _'You disgrace his name'_, the puppet master said. How could she be so careless and act towards Kankuro like he was equal to her, like he was in the same level? He was a sand shinobi, they were cruel and harsh towards weaklings. They were intolerant and punished failure. They were _emotionless_, not the way Kaoru pretended to be but truly cold. Their hearts were trained to not feel anything.

_'You are just a little piece of shit.'_

If her word were like daggers filled with poison, his were a big double edge sword on fire. And it pierced her right through her heart and through her soul, burning every last bit of happiness and joy she barely had. She couldn't look at the puppeteer anymore, if she would so, she'd break down right in that spot. In that cold and filthy looking street.

Those large wood buildings around looked like gigantic black mountains, monstrosities that drained all the light provided by the small crescent moon.

Kaoru couldn't breathe properly, her mind hurt, and her body ache. The cuts in her back seemed to awaken by the puppeteer's evil speech. Kaoru was used to this, used to be treated like crap, to be called shit or whore or even worst. But why she was so affected by this now? Why her heart cried and screamed for relief, for comfort? Why Kankuro's voice, and his eyes glaring her hurt so much?

"Kaoru-chan!"

A voice came like the light in the end of the tunnel. The first breath after being under water for so long. Kaoru looked at the end of the streets and saw her light. And she realized why it hurt so much, when looking at the younger boy coming. Kiba gave her a taste of goodness and happiness. He showed her that she wasn't a piece of shit, that she was someone important. He treated her like a real person, like she was equal to him. Kiba was the warm in her cold world. He was the heat, the sun, the light... He was her escape. Even if was just a kiss or a hug, or simply welcoming words. His actions meant the world to her.

Kaoru moved towards the dog boy, and when she reached him she put her arms around his neck. She pulled him in to a passionate kiss, and he happily kissed back grabbing gently her waist. It didn't matter the pain in her back, or if he slightly made some pressure in her back wounds. That kiss was her way to escape reality, her way to feel something besides pain.

Kankuro watched the two shinobis kissing. It was the first time he actually saw them kissing. The first time, he heard them talk, and then he quickly saw them locking lips, but not like this. In the first kiss, they were not so hungry or lewd.

The puppet lover sighed sadly, and he could only conclude that his decision to bury everything was the best way to escape this mess.

**0000000000**

Kiba's house was way far from where they had been before, but thanks to the dog boy himself, they reached his place in no time.

When they arrived, Kaoru noticed three grey dogs in the yard. Kiba had told them in the way that his sister Hana was home.

A wonderful smell came from inside the house, when they walked in, Kiba pulled Kaoru to the kitchen. The sand kunoichi saw the other girl. She had some similarities with her brother, like the red tattooed fangs in her cheeks, but she didn't seem so wild. The Konoha vet looked at the sand shinobi and warmly smiled.

"Hey you found them," she said.

"Yeah they were lost... go figure," Kiba joked, "Well this is my sister Hana, and this Kaoru-chan. I think you remember Kankuro for that time he saved me from the evil twins."

"Ah yes, I remember!"

The Inuzuka brothers talked a lot during dinner, Kaoru remained silent and only talked when Hana asked her something. Kankuro was also in silence. The tension between the Suna nins was undeniably awkward. But neither of the dog lovers, wanted to ask about it.

"So Kiba, I'm going in a mission tomorrow early and I will only come next day. I'm not going to be in the village, so you will be alone. Mom will come in the end of the week. So you have to take care of the house and our guests," Hana said.

"I know, that's what I've done the last days," Kiba answered.

After dinner, Kaoru offered herself to help Hana in cleaning. To her pleasure the Konoha kunoichi didn't ask her about her seals, she was indifferent to it.

Kankuro disappeared into Kiba's room, and Kiba walked the dogs.

"Kiba cares about you," Hana said while passing the wet cleaned dishes to Kaoru, who was drying them, "He rarely cares about someone else besides himself. Especially someone from another village."

"I care about him too, he's really nice to me," Kaoru replied, trying not to blush. She couldn't tell his sister she had feelings towards him, she only met him 3 days ago. It would sound to childish and not _shinobi-ish_ at all.

"He's a rough boy, so don't get offended if he does something... impolite. Still, you better settle boundaries. He _is_ a teenager you know?" the Inuzuka said laughing.

"Yes, I understand," Kaoru laughed too. That was one thing Hana didn't have to worry, Kaoru would never give her body to the dog boy. She was too embarrassed of herself to do it.

Even though, next day she didn't have to work on her mission, Kaoru wanted to sleep. That day was too exhausting. Kankuro was right, the mission was mentally tiring.

_'Kankuro...'_

Kaoru thought about the puppet master. The small tie she had with him, was now permanently gone...

She took a warm bath, and changed her bandages. She couldn't really know how they were progressing, because the wounds were looking strange. The cuts were now a purplish blue color, but it was the same color of the ointment Sakura made her buy. The stab wound was however, looking badly infected. She cleaned it the best she could, because of the pain and the angle of the wound. Then put her pajamas on and went to her room.

When she arrived, she saw Kiba lying in her bed. He was shirtless, and with his arms behind his head, exposing his upper muscles. Kaoru gasped at the sight. Kiba was so hot.

Trying to not show her thoughts in her features, Kaoru dried her hair with the towel, then threw it (neatly) in the back of the chair. She then started to comb her hair slowly. Kiba watched carefully every movement she did. He loved how she acted, every movement was graceful. After being done with it. Kaoru glanced the boy in her bed. And as if her body was controlling her, instead of her mind, she crawled in the bed next to the boy. She sat right in next to him. He immediately grabbed her wet hair and pulled her head to him. He kissed her lips furiously. His free hand caressing her neck.

Kaoru felt a tingling sensation inside her. That kind of contact was so powerful, so addictive.

Unconsciously she laid on top of the dog boy, her hand resting in his bare chest. His arms wrapped around her, making her moan in pain. The boy stopped.

"Is everything okay?" he asked concerned. Kaoru nodded and laid next to him. He turned around to face her. His eyes still worried about the sudden hiss. Kaoru crashed her lips on his, making the boy forget about what happened a second before. The kunoichi's hands traveled his arms, his skin felt amazing in her nude hands. She continued exploring his skin, her hands touching his shoulders, collar-bone, his chest and tracing his muscles in his abs.

He moaned by her touch, those delicate hands were sending electric vibrations through his body and he could feel his pants starting to getting tight. Kiba slid one leg between the kunoichi's and with his hand he pulled her upper leg around him. Instinctively she wrapped her leg around his waist. Kaoru knew she had to stop what was happening before going to far, but it was harder than she thought. Kiba was now completely lost in the moment, he didn't care about anything else but the girl entwined with his body. He wanted that girl, no, he needed the girl.

A small knock on the door made them startled like they were doing something wrong. Full realization came to both shinobis as they blushed madly noticing how they were positioned.

Hana yelled across the door.

"Kiba! Akamaru wants to come in. Get out of there, you are not gonna spend the night over there!"

Both shinobis smiled at each other. Kiba kissed the kunoichi once again.

"'Night" he whispered.

"Goodnight," Kaoru replied while watching Kiba leaving and letting Akamaru in. As she put the blankets over her body, Kaoru couldn't help but smile.

**0000000000**

The amazing smell of pancakes flowed through the house. Kaoru woke up and ran downstairs to enjoy that marvelous breakfast that waited for her. Akamaru followed her with the same excitement.

Kankuro was already there eating. He looked at the kunoichi and then looked down at his food, continuing to eat like she wasn't there. That attitude somehow made Kaoru feel bad. Kiba was at the counter preparing some tea. He noticed the girl and Akamaru, and he smiled.

"Good morning!" the girl said sitting down, and serving some pancakes to her plate.

"Good morning, babe," Kiba said, feeding his dog, "Slept well?", he asked looking at her.

"Oh yes! But wake up even better with this amazing smell!" she gave a big bite, and moaned with her eyes closed when eating the pancakes. Both boys stared at her, it was the most erotic sight they ever saw. And the sound she was making, was... let's say "pants tightening".

"Kiba-kun, I love your pancakes, I think they are my favorite thing to eat in the whole world!" she said eating. Kankuro smiled to himself.

"I'm glad you like them," Kiba said leaning forward and kissing her lips. The puppet master kept looking at his plate, suddenly he was not hungry anymore. He got up and put his plate on the sink. When he was about to leave.

"Oi Kankuro! What are you going to do today?" Kiba asked.

"We have the day off, I'm going to work on my puppets," he said.

"Don't you wanna do something. Like... I don't know we could go to the onsen. I think today is mixed bath day."

"Kiba-kun, there's no way I'm going to the onsen."

"Why not?" Kiba asked, Kaoru gave him an obvious glare.

"Okay, okay I get it... but I wanna do something, I feel like these past days I've done nothing... oh I know! Let's train!" Kiba said.

"Sure, fine by me," Kaoru responded.

"I'm gonna work on my puppets," the puppeteer repeated and then left.

"Jeez... he sure is moody when he wakes up," Kiba said.

"He's moody all day," Kaoru stated.

"That's what I'm realizing. Well, so we'll train, I heard your taijutsu is not that good."

"Kankuro-dono told you that?"

"Yeah..."

"He's so stupid... I can handle you Kiba-kun," she smirked.

Less than an hour later both shinobis were ready to fight, in the large yard behind Kiba's house.

"I'm not gonna use Akamaru, because he stubbornly doesn't want to fight you," he said giving an accusing glare to the dog. Akamaru whimpered and went to the corner of the yard, to watch the spar.

"Don't take me lightly. And don't bother using ninjutsu, it won't work on me," Kaoru said taking of a kunai from her back pooch.

"Okay, ready?" Kiba asked, the girl nodded, and in less than a second they started to fight. Kaoru was surprisingly faster than the dog boy thought. Kankuro made her look weaker than she was.

Kaoru mostly attacked Kiba and didn't want to stop the attack. Kiba thought seriously in using his clan's technique Shikyaku no Jutsu (Four legs technique), but the girl didn't give him the time to even perform a kawarimi for distraction. She was just too stubborn attacking nonstop. Then she suddenly stopped. It was the perfect chance now.

Kaoru stopped because her back hurt, it wasn't too bad, but she knew she was forcing her body into something that it couldn't bear. However stopping now, would be dangerous, because Kiba would ask a lot of questions. Speaking of the boy, she saw him across the yard concentrating his chackra. His features changed, his eyes got wilder, his fangs and nails grew, looking wilder. He smirked at her showing his big canines and ran towards her, but as he advanced his features started to fade away. Kaoru ran towards the confused boy.

"I told you, chackra doesn't work near me," she said attacking with her kunai. Kiba counter attacked with a kunai too.

"But... this is different, I'm not using in you," he said crossing kunais with the kunoichi.

"But you were using it against me..." she said, dodging down, as she did she felt a high pitch of pain. She was almost certain one of her wounds had reopened in her back. She lost concentration for a second and that was enough for Kiba to come from her back. Kaoru knew she had to stand up, but she couldn't.

Kiba saw his chance to attack she was distracted kneeling down on the floor, he ran towards her and hit her with the kunai, but instead of hearing the clash of metal, he heard a scream. He hit the girl right in her back, not only hit but he slashed her.

While trying to dodge the hit, Kaoru had wrongly turned around, so what would be a small cut turned to be a huge cut across her kidney area.

Kaoru fell completely on the floor. She could feel blood flowing out of her like a water tap. The pain was so unbearable she couldn't even see. Her sight started to turning black. Faintly she could hear the dog boy's voice.

"Kaoru! KAORU!"

The girl passed out. Kiba put his hand on top of the bleeding wound. There was so much blood, he was shaking.

"Kaoru! Wake up!" he panicked.

"KANKURO... KANKURO!" he screamed enough for the whole neighborhood to hear. In less than 30 second Kankuro appeared.

The puppet master gasped when he saw the horror in front of him.

Kiba was holding Kaoru, she was in her stomach, and with her back up. And there was blood everywhere. She was...dead?

"KIBA WHAT THE FUCK HAVE YOU DONE?" the puppeteer screamed, running to the girl. His heart racing in a hurtful speed. There was so much blood, he tensed up when he picked up her wrist and waited to feel her pulse. And he did felt it, weak, but she was still alive. He pressed his hand on the bleeding wound where Kiba's was.

"I-I... we were... f-fighting and she didn't dodge it... I-I..." Kiba was in complete shock.

Kankuro pulled the girl to move to the house, but the more he moved her, the more she bled. So he was only able to reach the porch of the house. Kiba was entirely speechless, until Akamaru barked, catching his attention.

"Akamaru go as faster as you can and bring Sakura or Ino or even Tsunade-sama, the closest one. GO NOW!" Kiba didn't have to repeat because the dog ran right away to find some help.

Kankuro cradled the fragile body of Kaoru. Kiba noticed how protective he was holding her like she was precious.

"I-I don't understand how my kunai made her bleed so much," Kiba said with his voice shaking.

Kankuro's hand pressed firmly in the wound, but it didn't seem enough he could barely see the wound, so he pulled her shirt up. He frowned when he saw the bandages. They were soaking in blood. Kiba watched intensively too. The cut Kiba made, cut through the bandages, and Kankuro started to take them off.

His eyes widened when he saw what was underneath, he slowly kept taking off the bandages with his free hand, the other was pressing the bleeding wound.

"What's... that?" Kiba asked incredulous.

"I don't know..." Kankuro whispered.

He only knew it was too fucked up.

**To be continued...**

* * *

><p>(Notes- (1)- Death God a.k.a. shinigami, it's the being summoned in the Shiki Fujin. This is the jutsu, Sandaime used against Orochimaru, and the jutsu Yondaime used against the nine tailed fox, resulting in both Hokage's death.<p>

(2)- Kinjutsu- Forbidden Jutsu)

**Note: At the time I wrote this story there were no info about the Shiki Fujin, except what Sandaime told before he died. In the recent chapters, Orochimaru was able to "unseal" from the Death God seal. So please ignore the manga and recent plot and bear with the story's theory =) Thank you.**


	11. Giving in

**Chapter 11: Giving in**

* * *

><p><strong>WARNING<strong>- contains blood scenes and cursing.

* * *

><p>Chapter 11 - <em><strong>Giving in<strong>_

"What's... that?" Kiba asked incredulous.

"I don't know..." Kankuro whispered.

The puppeteer couldn't believe what he was seeing. Was this... Kaoru? He almost felt like crying. The sight of the Kunoichi's body was painful. Her back was completely mutilated, like someone decided to whip her back with a sword. Not only that but underneath those cut wounds there was a red coloured seal that occupied her back. It was different from any seal he ever saw, but very similar to the red seals on her hands. The cut wounds formed a pattern that somehow linked the seal, as if someone left the tattooed seal incomplete and then decided to complete it with a blade. Kankuro realized the cuts were too precise, it would be impossible for Kaoru to do it by herself.

"I think they're infected." Kiba said, breaking Kankuro's thoughts. The sand nin also noticed it. He also saw some previous scars. Whatever was happening to the girl, it was happening for some time. Then he saw where he had his hand, right underneath Kiba's cut. He gasped.

"What?", Kiba asked.

"She was stabbed... here right beneath the cut you made... fuck..."

Their attention were drawn by a bark. Akamaru came running with Sakura at his back.

"What happen?" she asked, then she saw the girl in Kankuro's arms, "Kaoru-san!"

She knelt down to her.

"Please save her, I'll do anything please... just save her." Kankuro pleaded. Sakura stared terrified at her back, but she reacted quickly. She extended her hands in her back and a green light came from her hands.

Kiba sighed in relief, but not for long.

"Why..." Sakura murmured. The green light was fading away. She concentrated her chackra in a larger amount, but it faded away too.

"I can't heal her, my chackra is being drained or something."

"It's her ability, her seals don't let anyone use chackra on her, that must include medical treatments," Kiba said.

"Why the fuck she has this shitty seals?" Kankuro yelled. His voice was trembling, the despair in his eyes was heartbreaking. Sakura panicked, she didn't quiet know what to do, there was so much blood, Kaoru would die soon from blood loss if she wasn't treated. She had to pull herself together.

"We need to take her to the hospital now. She needs a blood transfusion," Sakura said with a firm voice, "Kiba go get Tsunade-sama, wait no... she's in a meeting. Then go get Shizune-sempai. Kankuro-san and I are going to take Kaoru-san to the hospital."

Kiba ran as fast as he could, he left Akamaru with the others in case they needed him. He reprimanded himself, it was his fault. He hurt Kaoru, and now she was dying. A sudden thought came across his mind, what if she died? Kankuro told him she was the daughter of an important counselor in Suna. If she died, that could bring harm to the peace treaty between both villages.

_'Damn Kaoru-chan don't die.'_

* * *

><p>Sakura pressured Kaoru's wound with a towel, trying to stop the haemorrhage. Somewhat it seemed to diminish the amount of blood coming out. The sand kunoichi wasn't stable enough to be transported, but staying there would be certain death. Sakura reassured herself, she made the right decision. Kaoru was held by Kankuro, Sakura making sure by the minute that she was "fine" while they ran towards the hospital.<p>

The way to Konoha's hospital seemed to take forever, for the puppeteer. Surprised faces on the streets looked at the three shinobis, especially because of the amount of blood in Kankuro's hands and arms. But the shinobi ignored them, he only wanted to save Kaoru, the only thing that mattered was Kaoru, nothing else.

As he saw the hospital sign, he sped up.

"Hang on Kaoru, we are almost there," he said to the unconscious girl in his arms.

When they arrived, medical-nins came in a hurry. They took Kaoru from his arms, and took her to the emergency room. Shizune arrived a few seconds later, and Kankuro saw the Tsunade was there too. She looked mad, Kiba had told her what happened. The two medical-nins entered the room and Kankuro and Kiba followed.

"Sorry but you have to stay here," Shizune said.

"No! I want to stay with her.", Kankuro said.

"It's best if you stay here-"

"I don't give a fuck about it, I'm the representative of the Kazekage, so I have power over MY Jonin, and I WILL stay with her."

Tsunade sighed annoyed.

"Fine but don't bother us. Kiba you stay outside."

Kankuro entered the room and stood at the corner letting the doctors doing their job. Sakura was relating the details to Tsunade.

"What a stupid thing, having a seal like this", Tsunade said trying to use chackra to heal, in vain.

"She was stabbed. But this looks badly infected, it seemed to have no more than a week. And these wounds too. She clearly is trying to heal them with ointments but that's not enough." the Hokage said.

_'No more than a week?,_ Kankuro thought. He kept listening to Tsunade's words.

"I can't believe the Kazekage let her come with these wounds." Tsunade continued, seeking for more wounds. Shizune was now giving Kaoru an IV with blood.

"We didn't know she was like that," Kankuro said in a husky voice. He mentally prayed for Kaoru's life. She couldn't die, not after his last words being what they were. How much he regretted telling those awful things. He undoubtedly had feelings towards the girl, as much as he tried to hide them, to bury them, he couldn't lie to himself anymore. As he watched Kaoru laying in that hospital bed, Kankuro realized how much he cared about her.  
>He was giving in to the feeling. And he promised himself right in that spot that he would never deny it again.<p>

Tsunade cut the Kaoru's shirt revealing now the whole back, and she gasped in surprise. Kankuro stepped forward to view what she gasped for. Kaoru's seal occupied her whole back. Not only that but the seals continued through her shoulders and seemed to continue in the front. Tsunade gently turned the ill kunoichi. Kankuro turned around, he couldn't disrespect Kaoru watching her naked. Not that he didn't mind it, but not when she was in that condition.

"Tsunade-sama what's that seal?", Sakura asked.

"It seems like... a summoning seal." Tsunade said, "Kankuro-san what's this?"

Kankuro turned around, he saw that Kaoru's breasts were covered by a cloth, then he saw in her stomach a seal. It was in a dark red shade. And indeed it was a summoning seal. The Kanji "Fire" was right in the middle. He swallowed hard.

"I don't know." he answered. Tsunade turned Kaoru around again, laying her in her stomach.

"Is that the chackra sealing fuin?" Sakura asked.

"No. The one in her back is. Well, part of it is. She has several fuins in her back, even though they look like a big one.", the hokage replied.

"How do we break the seal?" Sakura asked again. She seemed really concerned.

"We don't. There's no time for it, and it's probably impossible. We have to do this the old way. We have to clean the wounds and stitch them." she turned to the puppeteer, "Kankuro-san I know you are concerned but you have to go out now. We need to do this surgery in a sterilized ambient. And you have to clean that blood in you. It's for her safety."

"Will she be ok?", he asked.

"She's already receiving blood and she seems stable, I'll do everything I can. Maybe you should go send a hawk informing the Kazekage, but if you want I'll send it later."

"No that's ok, I'll send. Just don't let her die," he said, he looked at the unconscious Kaoru one last time and then left the room.

As he stepped out the room, he looked at his hands covered in Kaoru's blood, the blood was dried. He walked to the wall in front of him, and sat down against it. He heard footsteps and saw Kiba coming to him.

"Kankuro... how is she?", Kiba asked lowly.

"Go away mutt, I can't deal with you now," Kankuro answered without looking at the boy. It was his fault, the dog boy's fault that Kaoru was the way she was. Almost dead.

Kiba stood silent, guilt spreading through his body. He sat down a couple of meters from Kankuro. He would never guess that Kakuro would be so worried about the girl. Of course he would... she was a team mate, a fellow jonin companion. _'I would do the same for Hinata.'_, the Inuzuka thought, but still his canine instincts sensed something else from Kankuro. The way he held Kaoru in his arms, the way he pleaded for Sakura to save her, the way he confronted the Hokage... He sure seemed to have bigger feelings towards the girl, than he thought.

Kiba felt threatened somehow. Kaoru was in surgery because of him, and he didn't do anything for her. Kankuro took over his place. The puppet master acted like a real... boyfriend. Not that Kiba thought himself as Kaoru's boyfriend, but she was his, and Kankuro taking charge of her life and wounded body like he did, made him jealous. Kiba had to make it up for her when she wake up.

* * *

><p>Five days have passed since Kaoru's incident. The poor girl slept the whole time, because of the heavy anesthetic, and pain killers.<p>

Kankuro waited outside the room, while Sakura changed her bandages. He barely left the hospital, during the whole time. He only went home to change. He stayed next to Kaoru day and night. And everyday he would bring a flower to her. Her favourites, purple roses, which they were very expensive in Konoha because they were rare in the fire country. Ino, who sold them everyday to the puppet master always mumbled things like "It's not ok to give a purple rose to someone that is in a hospital", or "the flower means love at first sight not get well soon", but Kankuro didn't care. He knew Kaoru liked them the best, so for him it was the obvious choice.

Sakura opened the room door.

"You can come now, Kankuro-san," Sakura said smiling. He quickly entered and saw Kaoru laying in her back.

"She can lay like that? Won't her injuries open?" he asked concerned.

"No, Tsunade-shisho said it's ok. It was bad for her body to stay in her stomach for so long," She stared at the puppeteer and watched him put the flower in the small table next to Kaoru's bed. She softly smiled.

"Kankuro-san, she was really lucky to have you on her side that day."

"I didn't do anything, you guys are the ones who saved her," he replied humbly.

"But you made pressure in her wounds and took her here to the hospital. You really took care of her," Sakura said. She noticed how Kankuro cared about Kaoru and she wanted to give strength to the puppeteer to persue that path.

"Thank you, Sakura. I'm in debt again. If you need any help in no matter what, even if something awfully bad, you can count with me," he said. Sakura laughed.

"Don't need to, but you should go home and take a shower and go eat something and get some rest, you've been here for a while."

"I don't want her to wake up alone," the puppeteer replied while grabbing the girls' hand. He traced with his finger the scarred patterns of her seals.

"You can go" a voice came from the door, Kiba stood there, "I'll stay with her while you're not here."

Kankuro found himself disliking Kiba pretty bad in these past few days. Maybe because he only visited Kaoru only one hour per day, or maybe because he acted so... _unpreoccupied_.

"No thanks."

"Kankuro-san, Kaoru will probably only wake up in a couple of days, the anesthetic we gave her is really strong, you can go." After some persuasion, and because Kankuro didn't want Kaoru to see him looking such a mess, in case she woke up, he decided to go at Kiba's to change.

"Don't leave her alone," he ordered the younger boy. Without hearing his response, Kankuro left. He ran towards Kiba's house, he didn't want to be more than an hour far from Kaoru so he had to be quick.

No one was there. Kiba's mother returned a couple of days after the incident, but she barely was at home. And Hana spent most of her time in the vet center, even though she came everyday visiting Kaoru.

Kankuro went to the bathroom and took off his clothes. He saw himself in the mirror. He looked horrible, huge dark circles under his eyes, showing clearly his lack of sleep, and the fact he didn't even had his face paint on, showed more of how he was tired. But it was worth it. Kankuro smiled at himself, for Kaoru being tired was worth it. He took a shower really quick. He put a towel around his waist and exited the bathroom. As he walked through the hallway, and passed through Kaoru's room he stopped. He had no idea why, but he felt like entering the small guest room. The room was very clean and neat, just how he expected from Kaoru.

He advanced and saw a pair of long gloves neatly folded in the dresser. The Jonin remembered those awful wounds she had. They were from before coming to Konoha. He barely could believe she travelled so far with those injuries, and he never noticed something was wrong. Well in reality he noticed a lot of strange things that now made perfect sense. For example, why she fell asleep so easily in the first night coming to the hidden leaf village. Or why she screamed that day when he touched her, when they were proving her she had OCD.

Kankuro's eyes stopped at Kaoru's bag in a corner of the room. He knelt down before it and opened it. The boy wondered how he was still surprised by what he saw. Even inside her bag, everything was organized. There were scrolls, a lot of them. Scrolls with personal belongings to summon, such as clothes and stuff, scrolls with weird seals, that she would probably use as weapons, or maybe she needed for the mission. Then he found something peculiar. Her tools, shurikens and kunais seemed to be... used. Really used.

_'Why is she caring used tools?'_

Then something else caught his eye, a paper bag with bandages and a bottle of healing ointment. He remembered Sakura asking him about what Kaoru thought about the ointment. He felt really stupid. There were so many obvious signs and he didn't push it, he should had said something when he heard about the ointment.

_'Shit I'm a moron...'_

He put everything back as it was and then he grabbed her wallet. Unconsciously, he opened it, he wasn't really interested in her wallet, but he frowned when he saw it was almost empty. She barely had any money. Kankuro searched the entire bag, in case she hid the money, but he didn't find anything. If it was someone else without money he wouldn't give a shit about it, but this was Kaoru, Kankuro knew she would never do something so reckless like going to another country without money, and her family wasn't poor so she had no plausible excuse for it.

Something wrong was happening with Kaoru's life, and he promised to himself he would find out what.

After making sure, everything was back to how it was, Kankuro quick put some clothes on. He decided this time to put his face paint, but just because his face show so much exhaustion, people wouldn't shut up about it if he didn't.

Less than 15 minutes after, he was back at the hospital, he eagerly came to the room, reaching the door knob, he heard voices inside. His heartbeat sped when he heard Kaoru's voice.

"You're really sweet Kiba-kun. But you didn't have to stay here all the time," she said in a husky voice.

"But I didn't want for you to wake up alone," Kiba said. Kankuro was pissed off, Kiba was imitating what the puppeteer said before to Sakura.

"Do you like the flowers?", Kiba asked.

"I love them. How did you know they're my favourites?", she asked. Kankuro couldn't believe this. Kiba was getting all the credit for what he did, not only that but Kiba had the nerve to act like he did something, when in those 5 days, he barely came to the hospital. Kankuro couldn't let this keep going.

He opened the door and both shinobis inside looked at him. Kiba had an amused face on, he was grabbing Kaoru's hand and their fingers where entwined. Kaoru looked at the puppeteer with a scared expression, she knew she had a lot of explaining to do.

"You're awake.", Kankuro said.

"Yeah." she replied.

"How are you feeling?", Kankuro asked. He tried his best not to sound harsh, he knew his natural tone of voice tended to be misunderstood by cold and angry.

"Fine, a little pain, but I feel fine," she said without stopping glaring at the puppeteer. Kaoru was expecting the questions. She had no idea what she would reply, but anything was better than the anxiety of waiting for the questions.

"Kaoru..."

_'Here it comes...'_

"We need to talk... alone.", Kankuro said serious.

****To be continued...****


	12. The talk

**Disclaimer** - I do NOT own Naruto or any Naruto Character.

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><p>Chapter 12 - <em><strong>The talk<strong>_

"Kaoru..."

_'Here it comes...'_

"We need to talk... alone," Kankuro said serious.

Kaoru knew this was something impossible to escape. This situation was the last thing she ever wanted to face, but now there was no point to panic about it.

The puppeteer showed clear signs of being tired, he probably was upset with whole situation Kaoru put him through.

"Kiba get out," he ordered the dog boy. Kiba raised an eyebrow, for the puppeteer's rudeness. Who was he to order such a thing?

"Kiba-kun, please leave us. Kankuro-dono is my superior and we have to talk," she asked the younger boy. Kiba nodded. He glanced Kankuro and then kissed Kaoru's lips. Kankuro understood what the chunin was doing, he was marking his territory, like a dog would do when feeling threatened. The puppeteer ignored that painful kiss and waited until Kiba left the room. After hearing the door click, as a sign that it was closed, he advanced. He sat in the chair nearby Kaoru's bed, the same chair he sat in those past 5 days.

Kaoru saw Kankuro sitting nearby her. He looked strangely calmed. A million thoughts crossed her mind. Of course she knew she would had to lie about anything related to her seals and previous wounds, but before that, she had to know something, something that could possibly annihilate her plans, and even life when she would go back to Suna.

"Did you spoke with Kazekage-sama?" she asked, her voice shaken. It was impossible to control her anxiety and prevent her body from trembling. Her expressionless mask was broken. It broke when Kiba cut her with his kunai that day.

"Yes," he replied. Kaoru closed her eyes with sorrow.

_'__Oh no...__'_

The Kazekage knowing about this meant her father being informed about what happen. And being informed that the leaders of both villages knew about her abused body...

_'Father will be so mad...'_

"I sent Gaara a letter, telling him you had an accident, and that we may have to stay here for a while longer, however..." he paused looking at her hand that was just a few centimeters from his, "I didn't tell him about your previous... wounds."

Her face clearly showed relief, if the situation wasn't so gloomy she would laugh hysterically. Kankuro saw her relieved face. He wasn't used to see so many emotions in her, but he knew how to read people and knew how to read emotions pretty well.

"Kankuro-dono... Thank you," she felt she had to say it, she shifted into a sitting position.

"You shouldn't be thanking me. I didn't tell him, because I wanted to give you the chance to tell me first. In exchange for my silence you will explain me everything," he said, tough as always.

Kaoru knew it was too good to be true, him not telling the Suna leader. But telling him, was better than the Kazekage knowing, and consequently her father knowing.

"What do you want to know?" she spoke looking at the wall forward. If she was going to lie, she couldn't look at his face. She would break down, if she saw those dark piercing eyes.

"Who hurt you?" he asked with no hesitation.

"No one hurt me, I did it myself," she lied.

"Bullshit, those cuts in your back are part of that seal, they are to precise it would be impossible for you to reach them. Who did them?" he asked again.

Kaoru stood silent and after a while she replied.

"These cuts are part of my seal, which is my ability. There's nothing wrong with it, we all have our ways to make ourselves stronger..."

"Stronger?" he yelled, "What kind of ability makes you stronger when it prevents you from being healed? You almost died from that crap in your back."

Kaoru didn't answer. She had nothing to say because he was right. But she couldn't tell him that. They stayed several minutes in silence. Kankuro saw she wasn't going to say anything else, so he pushed the conversation forward.

"What about that stab wound, is it part of your seal too?" he asked ironically.

"It was from my previous mission."

"Don't lie to me. I know you had no missions in the week before we came here. Gaara told me that when we were in Suna." he said. Kaoru cursed herself, she was digging herself into a huge hole.

"Who did that?"

Kaoru stood silent. Kankuro was getting impatient, so impatient he couldn't hold himself anymore.

"For fucking sake's tell me what the hell is going on! Who did that?"

"No one..." she replied looking down.

"If it was no one, you wouldn't be so relieved when I told you Gaara didn't know about it."

Kaoru looked at Kankuro, in complete shock. She forgot how well he could see through people, how intuitive he was. After all he was a puppeteer, he hid in the shadows while manipulating his puppets, he reacted quickly, he was a fast thinker, almost instinctively.

"No one did this to me," Kaoru said again, she looked away again. Kankuro stood up and leaned in the bed towards her.

"LIAR! Tell me the truth! I order you to tell me the truth! I'm the representative of the Kazekage here in Konoha I have his powers over you," he said frowning. His breathing was heavy. He was almost on top of her. Kaoru couldn't speak. In other situation she would NEVER go against an order but this time... She looked up to the puppeteer, he was so close, she could smell his scent.

Tears felt from her eyes, running through her cheeks. She couldn't tell him, she simply couldn't. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead, then he pulled her head int o his chest, hugging her. Kaoru was shocked for the Jonin's reaction but she completely broke down. She cried in his chest, wetting the black fabric of his shirt, she never cried like this before. The girl was scared of herself in that point, she wasn't able to stop crying, and to cry like that especially in front of Kankuro was against everything she ever _made_ herself stand for.

Kankuro understood she wasn't saying anything because she couldn't. Someone was hurting her, and she was scared. And he wouldn't ignore this. He would find who it was, he just had to ask her the right questions. After 15 minutes, Kaoru was calmed, for the puppet master discontentment she pulled herself from the hug. She remained sitting in the bed. Kankuro sat next to her, facing her.

Kaoru looked at the puppeteer that was looking back at her.

"Kaoru... your wounds..." he grabbed her hand feeling the soft yet scarred skin from her hands, it was the first time Kaoru felt the puppeteers hands on her bare ones, "are they related with the fact you have no money with you?" Kaoru's reaction was an obvious response. Her blue eyes wide open in surprised.

"You went through my things?" she asked slightly mad.

"Yes, sorry about that, I was looking for a hint about what happened to you. I also noticed your used weapons," he said wisely.

"I forgot to bring money, and the new tools, I-I was in a hurry when I packed." she nervously smiled. Kankuro knew she was lying. But he didn't insist. Definitely it was another thing to investigate. There was only one last question he had to make.

"When the Hokage was healing you I saw the summoning seal in your stomach-"

"That is not of your concern, don't worry about it," she said cutting the face painted shinobi. Another matter she was avoiding.

_'All those things are related.'_

Kankuro stared at the girl in front of him, she looked sick, but still she radiated such a presence. He saw her crying, but that didn't made her less weak or fragile. She was still looking royal as always. Her purple hair messy and wavy made her even more feminine, the purple contrasting her pale skin... Kankuro couldn't hold himself, with his free hand he touched one of the bangs that framed the kunoichi's face. He let the piece of hair slide between his fingers.

"Kaoru..."

They look at each other. Kankuro almost whispered.

"I'm gonna find the bastard that is hurting you, and I'm gonna kill him myself."

Kaoru wasn't able to answer, she didn't know what to think, this was overwhelming in all senses. Everything was getting confusing, so many emotions, so many situations had happen since she left Suna it was too much. But everything faded away when she felt the puppeteers fingers touching her cheek softly. A comfortable silence was in the room. Both Jonins staring at each other's face. Kankuro looked at the slightly parted lips from the girl. Something was drawing him in to them, like a magnet. Not only that but she was leaning in to it too. Only a few centimeters separated them, he could almost feel her warm breath, lips almost brushing...

The door of the hospital room opened abruptly. Both Jonins separated quickly. Kiba stood there.

"Are you guys done? Kaoru-chan I have a surprise for you!" with that he let Akamaru enter.

"Akamaru!" Kaoru called happy. Kankuro stood up to give some space to the dog. He saw the girl petting the dog. She looked really happy. The signs of her crying were long gone. Kiba joined the duo, sitting where Kankuro was before. They looked like a happy family. Once again he felt his heart being crushed, so he left the room.

The puppet master had now a mission and he intended to find the truth about Kaoru and the one that hurt her. It was the least he could do...

Meanwhile, inside Kaoru's hospital room.

"Kaoru-chan you have purple paint in your forehead.", Kiba said cleaning it with his fingers. He frowned, he had to be careful about the puppet master, he was trespassing his _property._ He then kissed Kaoru in the mouth, reassuring himself she was his.

_'Yeah, she's mine...'_

****To be continued...****


	13. The red side

**Disclaimer** - I do NOT own Naruto or any Naruto Character.

(WARNING - RATED M for mature, this chapter contains a lemony scene. Also contains CURSING)

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><p>Chapter 13 - <em><strong>The red side<strong>_

Three days after, Kaoru was released from the hospital. However she was ordered to rest for a while and to not force herself in to things that possibly could harm her healing wounds. Sakura would go check on her everyday.

"Kiba-kun, I can walk... you know that right?", Kaoru said, riding Akamaru. Kiba insisted her to go on the dog's back, the way home.

"I know, but I don't want your wounds to open." he replied. Kaoru felt great, having the dog boy so concerned was amazing, the way he made her feel protected seemed almost unreal.

Reality was that Kiba felt really guilty about what he did. He hurt his girl, almost killing her, and she never blamed him for anything. Tsunade went in a rampage, and the poor boy even felt scared for his life. With his mother was even worst, Tsume didn't left him incapacitated because she had to go to a mission, and her son was still the host for the sand shinobis, but damn, how badly she wanted to punish him. But Kaoru... she didn't even looked sad or show a tiny hint of anger towards him. Which made Kiba more proud of his choice for a girl.

But in the middle of all the madness in those past days, one thing was making him unsure about Kaoru. Not Kaoru herself, but more about Kaoru's feelings towards him. And the reason was the sand nin talking to her in that precise moment as they were walking to Kiba's home.

Kiba noticed that since Kaoru woke up from the surgery, and they had _that_ conversation, that Kiba was totally clueless about, both Jonins never fought again. In fact, they seemed very close. Kiba's eyes narrowed when he glanced the other boy. Kankuro couldn't fool him, the way the puppeteer looked at Kaoru and smiled, there was no mistake, he TRULY was interested in her. But Kiba wouldn't let him, oh no he wouldn't. Kaoru was his, and his only.

Kiba knew that he was underestimanted by Kankuro like he was underestimated by everybody else because of his laid back attitude. He wasn't as brainless as everybody thought, in fact he was pretty sharp in what came to deal with people, he knew how to grab their strong and/or week points and use them to his advantage. In this moment he had the upper hand for sure, and after _that_ night he would win her 100 per cent. He was going to make her forget about that puppet master for good.

Kiba smirked to himself as they arrived his house. His mother was home, she had arrived the day before from her mission. Tsume had already met Kaoru, when she visited her in the hospital, to apologize for her son.

She must smelled Kiba's scent because she open the door right in the moment they arrived.

"Welcome back Kaoru-san! And Kankuro-san." Tsume greeted, she ignored her son, which proved him that she was still mad at him.

"Thank you Tsume-san." Kaoru politely thanked the woman before her. Kiba helped Kaoru get down from Akamaru. And he helped her take her shoes off when they went inside. It was part of his 3 phase plan to be a gentleman. Making him look like the perfect guy. Being the second part of the plan, to make Kankuro look bad in any circunstance he could. If those two parts were successful, his third part of the plan would be easy. An he barely could wait for that.

"I made lunch, I bet you are angry." Tsume said with a warming smile, making Kaoru blush. She wasn't really used to receiving such a welcome from someone older.

"Yeah, I'm starving!" Kiba said rather loud, making her mother glare him.

"I was talking to our guests." Tsume said coldly. Kiba was pissed, not only his mother was treating him like crap, but Kankuro was with a nasty mocking smirk in his face. But Kiba stood silent, he knew that if he wanted to have Kaoru for himself, he couldn't be reckless. Being imprudent or showing too much jealousy would only bring harm.

So he controlled himself, all day. Even when Kankuro acted a bit too touchy with Kaoru for his own taste. Or when his mother told Kaoru embarressing stories about his childhood.

Before dinner, he took the oppurtonity of Kankuro's absence to cuddle with Kaoru in the couch. Kuromaru, Tsume's ninken, was also in the couch on the other side of Kaoru, his head on her lap, she petted his fur.

"I think you have something that attracts dogs. Kuromaru doesn't let anyone pet him except my mom." Kiba said nuzzling in the girl's neck.

"That's because most humans treat me like a puppy. I hate that." Kuromaru replied closing his eye enjoying Kaoru scratching behind his only ear.

"I wouldn't treat you like a puppy, you are too big for that. And I think you are really smart, it would be an insult treat you like a puppy." Kaoru said.

"You should get more friends like her, Kiba" the black dog replied.

"She's not my friend, she's my... girl." Kiba said hesitant, he had never spoke about it with Kaoru, he wasn't even sure what they were.

_'We're more than friends that's for sure'_

Kiba glanced at the girl to see her reaction, when she was about to speak, Kankuro appeared and broke the mood. Kiba only wanted to kick the puppet nin, why wasn't he in his little emo corner like always?

"Kankuro-dono, what about our mission?" Kaoru asked, Kiba smiled when she entwined her fingers in his. Kankuro saw the small act, but tried to ignore it.

"The Hokage extended our permission in here." he replied.

"Oh... but being here for so long..." Kaoru looked like she didn't wanted to stay anymore time. Kiba gripped her hand tighter.

"Don't worry, I pay for every..." Kankuro stopped like he was talking to much, "Don't worry about anything, Kaoru." he said with a reassuring smile.

Kiba didn't understood what was going on, and he was getting fed up about how personal their conversations were becoming. Controlling himself was getting harder than he thought.

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><p>Kiba thought about every possible way for his plan to work. Never in his 16 years of life he felt so nervous about something, not even in missions. Facing death was way easier than facing possible love. Also he rarely had anxiety issues, in fact he didn't even remember the last time he felt such a thing. The feeling felt almost new to him.<p>

Kiba was the type of guy that would go with the flow, in every aspect of his life. It wasn't his personality to think things ahead, or to make a big master plan. He normally would face things spontaneously. But now, he actually had something to win, something big. And now he had an opportunity. An opportunity that deserved a plan, that dersearved a rightful thought. And as any egocentric teenage boy would, Kiba felt proud of himself, conceiving such a strategy.

The boy waitted impatiently for the purple haired girl to come out of her bath, which didn't took long enough. He tried his luck to help the poor girl with her bandages, but his mother was faster in that matter. After Kaoru got dressed, he took her to his room, of course the girl was hesitant to come in, remembering the last time she was there.

"Don't worry, I cleaned my room." the boy said. And they both went inside. Kankuro was there shirtless in his black loosed pants. Kaoru couldn't help but blush a bit, and so did the puppeteer.

"Kaoru-chan, I spoke with my mom, and she agreed with me that you should sleep in my bed."

"What?" Kankuro asked shocked.

"My bed is way better for her back. You will move into her room doll-boy."

"What the fuck? Why don't YOU move?" Kankuro asked.

"Becuase this is my room."

"I'm not gonna let you spent the night with her!"

"Try then!"

Kankuro raised his fist to punch Kiba, but he stopped when Kaoru spoke.

"Kankuro-dono! He's our host, don't fight him. That's ok, you can go sleep on the other room, I don't mind sharing the room with Kiba-kun."

"Kaoru..."

"Kankuro-dono, please don't argue about this." she asked the puppeteer. Kiba smirked seeing Kankuro's face, he was so disappointed it was pathetic.

"Bye bye Kankuro!" Kiba said, he was satidfied that his plan worked so well. Kankuro snapped and was about to attack the boy, but he stopped, the puppet master was not going to play the younger boy's game and make Kaoru angrier.

Kankuro left the room but let the door open. Kiba sighed and closed it. Kaoru stared at him, she seemed somewhat shy. Kiba grinned, and slowly walked to her, his hands gently met her hips, and he leaned to kiss her. A bark interrupted them. Kiba rolled his eye and opened the door.

"Akamaru go sleep with Kankuro tonight." he said in a low voice so Kaoru couldn't hear. Akamaru barked again.

"Akamaru please don't mess this up for me. I promisse I will recompensate you later."

Akamaru barked again and left, obviously angry. It hurt Kiba to see his best friend angry with him, bu there was nothing in this world that would ruin his night. He wouldn't let that happen.

Kiba closed the door again, and then saw that Kaoru was lying in his bed. He smirked and joined her. He kicked Kankuro out of his room, supposedly because he was going to sleep in the Kankuro's bed, but of course that was a farse. Kiba was going to sleep in his own bed with Kaoru.

"Sorry about Akamaru, where were we?" he asked rethorically, while leaning towards the girl's mouth. His lips already parted met hers, their tongues making contact first. Kiba moaned when felt the velvety touch of her tongue in his own. Her taste was beyond sweet, he only wanted more, his hand carefully travelling to her hip, he pressed himself to her, he leaned his head deepening the kiss. Their tongues still dancing with each other. Soon he completly dominated the girl's mouth, tasting every bit of her. Never in a million years he thought that a kiss could be so arousing. He could feel his manhood, throbbing in excitement. He needed the girl, Kiba needed to press himself against her a little bit more.

It wouldn't be long for his self-control disappear, and he didn't wanted to scare the girl, so he pulled away from the kiss. Kiba looked at the beauty in front of him. His heartbeat raced in an imaginable speed.

"Kaoru-chan... I really like you... a lot." he said. The words seemed so heavy in his head, but the moment they came out from his mouth, they were as light as feathers.

"I really like you too, Kiba-kun." she said blushing, she smiled cutely and continued,"No one ever treated me like you do. So..."

"So what?"

"So... kindly." she blushed even more, it was embarressing for her to tell that she liked any kind of affection, it was something so rare for her, than something as simple as kiss meant for her more than it should.

Kiba smiled, and kissed her again. This time even deeper, freeing every hormone of his body that screamed for lust and sex. He didn't plan to go all the way. Kaoru was clearly a virgin, and going all the way now would scare her, plus she was still wounded, but he wanted to give Kaoru something good, something that would make sure she would like him and only him, and forget that stupid doll-boy.

"Do you want me to turn off the lights?" he asked sweetlly, Kiba knew how much she loved when he was like that, giving her careful attention. She nodded. He turned off the lights and carefully pulled her close to him again.

"You're so beautiful."

Kiba kissed her neck gently, smelling every inch of her skin, that scent drove him mad. He kissed her in her soft spot, and she moaned with the most beautiful sound he ever heard. The scent coming from her was unbelievable, he could actually smell the pheromones coming from her body.

The dog-boy's canine instincts, made him sure of what he had to do. Sexual need was spreading through his body, and he founnd himself wanting to be relieved. Things were getting so hot, sweating was forming in his back.

He pulled back from the girl's neck and took off his shirt, for his surprise Kaoru touched him. His well toned muscles. Her touch sending waves of pleasure to his groin area. He kissed her again lustfully. He wanted so badly to take of the girl's t-shirt, but he wouldn't do any good, since Kaoru was wrapped in bandages. However there was something he could take of. As a semi-warning sign he unbuttoned his own pants.

"Sorry, but it was hurting." he said mentioning his hard member. Kaoru smiled blushing and carefully grabbed the edge of his pants and pulled them down. Kiba took them all. As a go ahead sign he slowly took off her pants too. He couldn't believe she was willing to go further.

While making out, his hand touched her tight, then her inner tight. Kaoru's breathing was heavier. His fingers softly touched her intimate parts, above the thin fabric of her underware. A low sexy moan came from her mouth. Kiba wanted to hear more.

"Kiba-kun... I never done anything like this before." Kaoru whispered panting.

"Me neither." he answered, he pressed soft kiss in her lips, "Can I?" he asked grabing the edge of her panties. Kaoru nodded shyly, and he took them off. His hand went right back to where it was before, his fingers now in contact with her bare skin. She moaned by his touch, and Kiba could be feel his member throbbing in need, already leaking pre-cum.

Wetness surrounding his fingers, he couldn't resist it. He felt the urge to taste it. He brought his fingers to his mouth and licked them. The boy loved it, and wanted more.

"You taste so good." he said kissing her ear, "I want more."

The boy leveled his head towards her privates, and slided himself between her legs.

"Kiba-kun don't... unh!" Kaoru felt a wet muscle licking her, his tongue made her go over the edge. Kiba carefuly licked her, estimulating her most sensitive parts.

Kaoru bit the back of her finger to prevent her from moaning out loud. She arched her back, everytime the dog boy moved his tongue in circles. He always looking at her, watching every reaction she was having.

Kaoru could feel she was near something big, she started to pant heavily, her mind went momentarly blank.

"Kiba!" she climaxed. Her legs shook a bit around Kiba's shoulders. The boy was proud of himself, making Kaoru moan his name like that. He went up and kissed her.

"That was amazing." Kaoru said. Kiba smiled at kissed her again, he loved to do that to the girl, but damn now he was in pain, he really needed to release. Kaoru seemed to read his mind. She reached his boxers and slightly pushed them down, the boys hard member stood out proudly. She gently touched the tip, and he moaned. More pre-cum leaked from it.

"I don't think I'm gonna last long, Kaoru-chan. Your moans were too sexy." he admitted.

"That's ok." she lead the boy to her side and she turned too facing him. Her small fingers grabbed the hole member, and she slowly started to move her hand up and down. Kiba closed his eyes in pleasure, he never had anyone doing that for him, no matter how many times he fantasized that was someone else's hand instead of his, in his lonely nights, nothing could beat the pleasure of another person's hand doing something so intimate.

"Please... faster." she increased the pace, and he felt the familiar feeling forming inside of him. He grabbed Kaoru's head and kissed her lips lascively, and moaned in her mouth when he ejaculate in her hand.

They stood silent looking at each other enjoying the aftershock of both climaxes.

"Now THAT was amazing!", Kiba said smiling. Kaoru smiled too.

Both shinobis felt extremely tired, they were sleepy. Kaoru cuddled in Kiba's arms, he warped his arms gently around her, to not hurt her. Very soon Kaoru was asleep, Kiba joined right after with a smile in his face.

* * *

><p>Next day, Kiba woke up early like he did everyday. Kaoru slept peacefully next to him, and the chunin grinned reminding the night before.<p>

He slowly got out of bed, and dressed his boxers and pants. Deciding that he would bring breakfast at bed to his girl, he silenty exited his room. Across the hallway Kankuro was also up, he was going to the kitchen too. The puppeteer looked behind to see the sound of footsteps he heard before. It was Kiba. He narrowed his eyes towards the younger boy.

Kiba didn't like the glare Kankuro gave him, in any other circuntances or if it was someone else he would kick the person's ass, for glaring like that. But something better came to his mind. He smirked and walked fast passing by the puppet master. After passing him, Kiba looked back, still with his smirk.

"Kankuro?" he said and pointed with his finger to his face, "Guess where this mouth was last night?"

And with that he continued walking, leaving a speechless Kankuro standing alone in the hallway.

**To be continued...**


	14. Kankuro's research

**Disclaimer** - I do NOT own Naruto or any Naruto Character.

A/N - Some mistakes fixed! Sorry if there's still a few!^^'

(WARNING - RATED M for mature content, it contains sexual situations, a.k.a. LIME (very explicit!), and ugly bad words, a.k.a. cursing)

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><p>Chapter 14 - <em><strong>Kankuro's research<strong>_

Everyday that passed, Kaoru was happier and happier, since that night with Kiba, she spent more time with the dog-boy. She never thought that she would ever like another human being in her entire life. Life was so hard for her, bad experiences and being brainwashed by her father, all that made Kaoru simply unable to love another person. That's why she always kept a secure distance from everyone. Most of the time she accoplished that "safe distance" by being over-polite or keeping things 100 per cente professional.

However, Kiba proved her wrong. Every single second she spent with him, Kaoru felt more attracted to him, not only by his looks, but also by his personality. And after that night, Kaoru's feelings only grew stronger.

It wasn't long before the two sand shinobis were back in to their mission, in the little office in the Hokage mansion. Both willing to resolve that mysterious sealing jutsu that the Forth Hokage used.

Days have passed and the more Kaoru researched more doubts came. Everytime she thought she was close to find out how to unseal that damn jutsu, something always came up, destroy that little glimpse of hope she had. This was an hopeless case, and now she understood why Konoha asked for the best seal expert from Suna. Even though she was technically the second best.

"Even father wouldn't be able to do this..." she said a little bit to loud since Kankuro heard.

"What? Are you serious? Your fahter wouldn't be able to do this?", Kankuro asked perplexed.

Kaoru blushed in shame, she didn't wanted to talk about her father, especially with Kankuro. The puppeteer, like many other Suna shinobis, saw her father like a hero, a living legend that made many good deeds in the Sand village. Also, her father when was young was part of the same team as the former Kazekage, Kankuro's father. In Kaoru's vision, it was completly normal for Kankuro to see her father like someone powerful and wise. Not to mention the fact that he was also one of the Sunagakure couselours.

So this was one of the reasons, besides her seals, she never told anyone, about the abuse. No one would believe her, and even if they did, they would probably close their eyes to it. Her father had too much power and too many connections. Compared to him she was no one, like Kankuro once said, almost no one knew her name.

"Kaoru?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you ok? You're spacing out."

"Yeah, I'm fine. What did you ask?" Kaoru asked.

"You were saying even your father wouldn't be able to do this, then why the hell are we bothering?" Kankuro said looking around as if he was looking for a way out of that damn small room.

"Well, it's our mission we can at least try..." she stopped talking when she saw Kankuro staring awkwardly.

"What?", she asked with an eyebrow up.

"Your table." he said laughting, Kaoru looked at the table, "Your scrolls are all messed up, your OCD is fading away."

Kaoru looked carefully at the scrolls and books completly messy. It was true, she didn't even felt like arrange that. She looked at Kankuro and laughted too. Both Jonins laughted for a while, enjoying the sound of the other's laught.

"I think it's Kiba-kun's fault." Kaoru said still laughting, Kankuro's smiling face faded right away., "He's so messy, I think I got used to it."

"Kaoru..."

"Yeah?"

"Do you really like him?", Kankuro knew he shouldn't ask it, he knew he wouldn't like the answer, but maybe just maybe he may had a tiny little chance.

Kaoru looked more serious at the puppeteer, but still with a glint in her eyes and a serene smile in her face.

"I think it's more than that. I know I sound silly telling such a thing, I met him a few weeks ago but, it was like love at first sight, you know?" she said.

"Do you love him?" Kankuro asked, his heart hurt, as if someone was trying to squeeze the life of it. Before the girl answered, he continued. "Are you sure you want him?"

"Of course, I'm sure, I'm not used to have boys chacing me, but I'm not a fool, and I'm not that naive, if I say I love him I really mean it."

Kankuro's face turned into pure sadness, and Kaoru could see that, but why would he be sad?

"Kank-"

"Kaoru, why him?"

"What?"

"Why do you like him? He's not even like you, you have nothing in common."

"Kankuro-dono I-"

"Don't call me that.", Kankuro cut her, "Quit with the _-dono_ thing."

"Ok, Kankuro..." Kaoru felt weird saying it, "-kun, Kiba-kun is the first person that sees me as I am, and doesn't judge me."

"Who judges you?" Kankuro asked, the girl was never judged by anyone, what the hell she was talking about.

"Well, everybody! Especially in Suna, if you don't act or be in a certain way you are lower than trash."

"What? That's what the elders think, why do you even care about it?"

"It's not just the elders, other people too, even you!" Kaoru said looking at the puppeteer.

"Me? Are you crazy, look at me! Who am I to judge someone?" Kankuro said incredulous.

"You judged me all the time! Because of my gloves, and my OCD, and you call me a freak!"

"That's me just messing around with you, I don't mean those things."

"Why would you "mess" with me?" Kaoru asked. Kankuro was just playing with her all the time before? There was no way that was true. So many times they fought and argue over everything and anything.

"Because I lo-" Kankuro's words were cut by a knock on the door, Tsunade peeked inside, like she was watching if they were doing something she shouldn't be seen.

"Sorry to interrupt your work, I'm just here to deliver mail that we received to Kankuro-san." and as fast she came, she left.

Kaoru looked at the boy, carefully opening the scroll, she totally forgot about what they were talking before.

"You have been receiving a lot of mail lately, Kankuro-do...-kun." she smiled when she corrected herself.

"Yeah" he only replied, eager to read what was inside. That eagerness didn't escape the kunoichi's eye.

"You look impatient to see that, is that from a girl?" she asked.

"What the hell did you came up with that? I told you I lo-", he was cut by Kaoru.

"You don't have to be shy about it, I trusted you telling you my feelings towards Kiba-kun, you can trust me too."

Yes, it was right, she told him she _loved _Kiba. That painful feeling came again, but he kept himself together.

"It's not from a girl, it's from Suna, I've been researching about who hurt you." Kankuro said starting to read the scroll. It was the only thing he could do for her, if she was in love with Kiba and the leaf chunin made her happy, then he would let them be together, however he would break and kill anyone that hurt the girl. If he couldn't please her than he would protect her.

"WHAT?" Kaoru panicked, she couldn't believe what he just said, "Why are you doing that?"

_'Did he writte to my father?_

_Please Kami-sama NO!'_

"I told you I'm gonna kill the one that did that to you!" he said looking up meeting Kaoru's eyes. The girl stood up, scared.

"D-did you talked with my father?" her voice trembled. Kankuro frowned.

"No..." he sincerely replied.

"Please don't talk to him, don't tell anything to him." Kaoru burst. She turned around the table and kneeled down to where Kankuro was sitting. She grabbed his arms firmly.

"I beg you don't tell him anything. Please."

Kankuro was shocked but he nodded.

"Why don't you want him to know, he's your father, he can protect you!" Kankuro asked and Kaoru stood up.

"Damn, Kankuro-kun why are you so fucking curious? That's why I like Kiba-kun, because he's the opposite of you! He doesn't intrude what's not of his business." Kankuro's eyes widen. The male Jonin couldn't say anything.

"I'm sorry, didn't mean to be rude, it's just I really don't want my father to know it."

"No problem" the puppeteer simply replied.

Kankuro laid down, in his bed which was Kaoru's former bed, in the guest room. He stared at the blank ceiling. The scent of wild fruits surrounding him. The smell of Kaoru's hair. Her scent was still in the pillow cases. Oh Kami, how much he loved that smell. He took one of the pillows underneath his head and he sniffed it.

It hurt to know, that she was in another room with another guy doing probably things, Kankuro would never be able to do with her.

_'She said she loves Kiba...'_

Fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK. Kankuro sat. He was going insane thinking about it. Why was he so upset anyway? It wasn't like she would stay with Kiba forever, she was going to get back to Suna right? Such a distant realtionship wouldn't work!

Kankuro hugged the pillow and sniffed it again. Kaoru was so beautiful, she looked so perfect all the time. But Kankuro loved even more when she looked unperfect, like when her hair was messy and wavy, or when her clothes were wrinkly right in the right places, showing her curves that she hid everyday.

Kankuro felt himself getting hard. The thought of Kaoru's body, was making him hot. He laid down again.

Imagining her smile, when she bits her lower lip when she'd thinking. That mouth, oh how much the boy wanted to know how that mouth tasted. How she looked without those clothes...

Unsconciously Kankuro's hands traveled through his body, touching his hard boner. He pulled down his pants and boxers to his tights, and freed his member. His hand wrapping it, starting to rub it up and down.

The sight of her tattoed body, her pale white shining skin... How much he wanted to trail those seals with his mouth, kissing and licking every inch of her skin...

Kankuro increased the speed, moving his hand twisting slidly and touching the tip, the way it made it more pleasurable for him.

Her back, her shoulder, her neck... her mouth, how much he wanted that mouth in him, around him. Those full pink lips...

Kankuro sniffed the pillow again. Her scent in him, her body underneath him, him between her legs while he's...

"KAORU!" he moaned, cumming into his hand.

Kankuro looked at the white ceiling again, panting. He cleaned his hand, and pulled his pants up. Tears fell from the corner of his eyes. His hand met the wetness in his eyes, making him notice he was crying.

_'Shit...'_

_"That's why I like Kiba-kun, because he's the opposite of you! "_

Kankuro never cried since he was kid. And now the tough boy from Suna was crying for a girl, a girl that he loved. And she had no idea that she was hurting him. Hurt.

_'Hurt... love'_

Suddenly a thought came to his mind. He sat down quickly and took the scroll he received earlier from the nightstand. It was from Gaara, he previously asked Gaara to give him a list and some quick biographies of a few shinobis he was suspecting they could be hurting Kaoru. However he never asked Gaara for the most obvious file. Kaoru's file, and her family's file. Kankuro noticed how Kaoru pleaded for her father not to know about it, maybe it was someone close to her family... Kankuro would find out, and would beat the hell up the person , but before he had to know more about the girl herself.

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><p>Kaoru woke up again, with Kiba bringing her breakfast at bed. And of course part of that breakfast were those amazing pancakes, which she delightfully eat them. An hour later, the kunoichi and Kankuro went to the Hokage mansion, this time straight to Tsunade's office.<p>

When they arrived they found out two people were there beside's the Hokage. Kaoru recognize the blond boy Naruto. Next to him was a man with white long hair. Kaoru gasped recognizing the man as one of the Sanin, Jiraiya. Now, this was someone Kaoru truely idiolized.

"Tsunade, I think it's Naruto's choice!" Jiraiya said audaciously.

Tsunade sighed and looked at the two Suna shinobis.

"I apologize for this, but it seems we had a breach of information here." she glared Jiraiya.

"Tsunade, seriously give Naruto the chance to speak for himself." the man repeated.

"Naruto, what do you want?" Tsunade asked. Kaoru deduced she was asking for his consent to continue the research.

"Baa-chan, I don't want to take him out. Maybe in the future I can control it. I always saw Kyuubi as burden in my life, but... it made me what I am today." Naruto replied. Kaoru smiled. The boy was so sure of himself it was inspiring.

"I guess then, there's nothing else I can do... The mission is over for you two. Did you made any advance?", Tsunade asked.

"No Hokage-sama, I believe that seal is impossible to break. Not even a kekkei genkai based on seals would work." Kaoru honestly answered.

"Jeez, well I'm sorry for taking your time. You can return to Suna, your mission is over."

After treating burocratic things, both shinobis walked back to Kiba's.

"Well, this was a waste of time." Kankuro said, putting his hands on his pockets.

"Yeah... Kankuro-kun? Can we stay a couple more days?", Kaoru asked. Kankuro knew why she was asking that. She wanted to be with Kiba, but Kankuro couldn't say no to those bright blue eyes looking at him.

"Sure, you still have to take off those stiches right?" he said. Kaoru grinned.

"Thank you!" she said clingy into the puppeteers arm, making the boy slightly blush.

**To be continued...**


	15. Trust & Goodbyes

**Disclaimer** - I do NOT own Naruto or any Naruto Character.

A/N - Fixed some mistakes, Maybe there's still some... Gomen.

Warning: LEMON!

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><p>Chapter 15 - <em><strong>Trust &amp; Goodbyes<strong>_

Kankuro and Kiba. Two shinobis completly the opposite from each other. Any normal person, that met them in five minutes would say that they were alike, that they were both egocentric, proud, and got easily pissed off. But for those who knew the two shinobis for a long time, they would discribe them as_ incompatible_.

Kankuro was reserved, Kiba was a loud mouth. Kankuro was anti-social, Kiba was friendly with almost everyone. Kankuro over-thought things, Kiba just let things flow. If Kankuro was discribed as dark, then Kiba was automatically light. The moon and the sun, water and fire, the yin and the yang. In short, they were polar opposites. Except in one little aspect. They were both interested in the same girl.

Both boys were in the waitting room of the hospital, waitting for Kaoru. The girl went there to remove her stitches, she was finally healed from her wounds, and Tsunade was now doing her job as a medical-nin and making sure Kaoru would be able to travel back to Suna next day.

As the two boys waitted, Kiba felt restless, since Kaoru told him she was going back to Suna. The boy sighed in sadness.

"Kankuro?"

"Hmm?" the puppeteer asnwered showing he was listening even though he was with his eyes closed.

"Can't you guys stay more time in here?" Kiba asked. He felt so miserable, now he had found a nice girl, she was going to leave, and god knows when she would come back.

Kankuro noticed how sad the younger boy's eyes were. He remembered Kaoru saying the day before that she was in love with the dog-boy. Maybe Kiba felt the same.

_'Kiba makes Kaoru happy..._

_Maybe... I should stay out of the way.'_

The thought was painful, but he sincerily meant it.

"Kiba... do you really like her?" he asked looking straight at the chunin's eyes. His voice tone was soft. Kiba looked at him and answered.

"Yes, I really like her... Do you like her?"

"It doesn't matter what I feel. She loves you, she told me that. I won't get in the way, just don't hurt her. Or I will beat you to bloody pulp." Kankuro said.

"I will never hurt her, I really care about Kaoru-chan." Kiba said. Kankuro gave him a trustfull smile. He knew Kiba could be trusted, and the fact he always treated Kaoru so well, it was proof enough. Kankuro looked away at the window of the waitting room. It was a sunny day, birds flying happily between trees.

_'I'm sorry for giving up chacing you Kaoru,_

_but I never made you happy the way Kiba makes you._

_I'm always here for you, loving you... but you don't belong to me.'_

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><p>Kaoru was in pure ecstasy. Tsunade removed the stiches. Thanks for Konoha's medical herbs, her wounds healed very quickly, which meant NO MORE bandages! The only bad part, was that the scars would never fade way. If she was healed with chackra they would be gone in a day, but unfortunately that was not the case.<p>

However, Kaoru felt great. Not having the bandages was enough to make her happy. She walked through the hallway along with Sakura. Then she paused halfway with a worried expression.

"Sakura-san, what about the medical bill? I assume it will be expensive considering that I'm an outer kunoichi." Kaoru asked politly but clearly concerned.

"Oh, well half of the bill was convered by the Inuzukas, since it was Kiba's fault. There's also the mission insurance, and the rest was paid by Kankuro-san."

"What?" Kaoru asked surprised. Kankuro hadn't told her anything about it.

"He asked us to not tell you, and that if you asked us about it, to lie to you and tell you that there was no bill." Sakura said.

"Why are you telling me then?" Kaoru asked Sakura.

"Because I think you should know that Kankuro-san does a lot of things for you. When you were hurt, he was worried... I think he has strong feelings for you." Sakura said smilling warmly. Kaoru didn't say anything.

_'Kankuro has feelings for me?'_

Of course the puppeteer cared about her enough to tell her, he wanted to kill the guy that hurt her. But _strong feelings?_

Kaoru and Sakura reached the boys in the waitting room. Kaoru glanced Kankuro, but the puppeteer didn't looked at her in the eye, instead he grabbed Sakura's arm and left somewhere with her.

_'Feelings for me? _

_I guess it's more feelings for you, Sakura-san.'_

Kaoru watched the two shinobis getting away. She didn't really knew why, but she felt an heavy weight in her shoulders. Kankuro paid for her medical bill, and she wasn't even able to thank him, because "she didn't knew anything".

"So..." Kiba broke her thoughts, "No more bandages?"

"No more bandages." Kaoru replied smiling.

"Oh really?" he asked wrapping his arms around the girl. Kaoru nodded and Kiba leaned his head to Kaoru's, teasing her lips with his own.

"Then, I have the perfect day planned for us." with that Kiba kissed the girl in the most passionable way she could possibly be kissed.

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><p>Kaoru followed the chunin, not knowing where she was heading. His warm hand pulling her hand, fingers entwined. They walked through a forest, that she hadn't been before.<p>

Konohagakure was surrounded by forests, giving that beautiful confortable ambient to the village. Unfortunatly, because of her injuries, Kaoru was not able to explore the village better, but it didn't matter, Kaoru wasn't concerned about where Kiba would take her. She trusted him. Maybe even loved him, he was her knight in a shiny armor. He was her savior from the life she had. A life that she had to go back to, the day after.

The pressure of enjoying every single moment she had left, clouded her mind. And Kiba was her solution, he would bring her the need she had. He was going to fullfill every single cell of her body, feeding her needs, her last moments of freedom.

They walked about 20 minutes within the forest, Kaoru noticed Kiba seemed to take her in to a particular place, once they arrived Kiba smilled to Kaoru.

It was a small lake, the water was blueish clear. Around the lake it was covered with grass and amazing colored flowers grew in random places.

"Let's go swim!" Kiba said pulling the girl's hand.

"What?" Kaoru couldn't believe the dog-boy's idea. She didn't even knew how to swim properly, it's not like she needed to.

"Come on!" Kiba said taking off his shoes and t-shirt, he grinned, "Now you can show off that body of yours."

Kaoru blushed, her body could be better from the ugly wounds but she was still unconfortable with her tattoed seals. Kiba noticed that.

"Kaoru-chan ,it's just us, no one ever comes here. You trust me right?" Kiba said tugging slightly her dark shirt.

"I trust you." Kiba smilled and took of her shirt. Leaving the girl in her black bra. Kiba ignored the seals, and took of his own pants, and Kaoru mimicked the boy taking hers. With both in their underware, Kiba pulled the girl in his arms and jumped into the lake. Kaoru gripped her arms around him.

"Kaoru-chan are you afraid of water?" Kiba asked laughting.

"I don't really swim very... well..." Kaoru said blushing in embarressement.

"Hmm... that's kind of good. I like you clinging that way to me." he said kissing the girl's wet neck. It felt good, for Kaoru to feel his bare chest in her body, even with the cold water, he was so warm...

Akamaru slept on the grass, ignoring the two shinobis in the water, making out. They stayed there for a while.

Kaoru shivered by the boy's touch, his hands traveling her bare back, it was heaven. Her skin felt so sensitive. She loved the sensation.

"Kaoru-chan let's go out of the water."

"Ok."

The two shinobis layed on the grass, Kiba didn't let her go. He passionatly kissed her lips, his tongue hungry for her's. The scent of wild fruits, hypnotized him, and he soon attacked her neck, leaving marks, but Kaoru couldn't care less, in that moment she wasn't able to think.

Kiba's hand slid the bra stripes down her tattoed shoulders, kissing the new exposed skin. His kisses trailed down to her clevage. Kaoru panted and moaned when Kiba's hand slided underneath the bra, toching and sqeezing her breast, while the free hand unhooked the bra and then throwed it aside next to the already piled clothes.

The boy's mouth took control over her breast, licking and nibbing every sensitive spot. Her moans were once again a song to his perky ears.

He kept going down to her stomach where she had the summoning seal. Kiba didn't say anything about it, he just kissed and licked her skin, driving Kaoru to pure bliss.

"Kaoru-chan, I want you to be my first." Kiba said sexily in her ear, licking it. The sensation was too much for the girl and she simply nodded. Kiba smirked and in less than a second both his boxers and her panties were gone. Kiba looked at her whole naked body, Kaoru blushing bright red and looking away.

"You're so hot, Kaoru-chan.", Kiba teased her. He searched something in his clothes on the floor, that were next to them, he took of a condom from the pocket of his pants.

_'Wow, he actually came prepared...'_

In the moment Kiba unwrapped with his teeth the silver package of the condom, Kaoru realized what was going to happen.

_'Am I really going to do this?_

_I like him, I really like him.. but...'_

Kaoru's heartbeat was so fast it almost hurt, it was her first time. She was going to have intercourse. It was also the boy's first time, and that somehow made her more confortable. She watched carefully the dog putting the condom, he sure was big. The kunoichi had seen the dog-boy's manhood and even felt it in her hands, but now in bright daylight seemed so much bigger. This was going to hurt her for sure.

Kiba layed on top of her, between her legs. He gently kissed her.

"I'll be gentle.", he reassured the girl.

He slowly entered the girl, Kaoru shut her eyes tightly, she was right, it hurt like hell.

"Are you ok?" Kiba asked concerned kissing her neck, to make her forget about the pain.

"Yes, don't go fast." she asked.

Kiba thrusted her gently, trying to not lose control of himself and doing her hard. After a couple of minutes, he couldn't handle it anymore, he had to thrust deep.

"I'm sorry Kaoru-chan I can't keep going like this..." the boy trusted her deep, Kaoru moaned loud in pain, the boy said he would be gentle, but now it was the total opposite. Kaoru bared with the pain for a while, then that pain faded away, and as Kiba thrusted faster she started to feel pleasure. Her moans made Kiba increase the grip, sweating dripping from his body.

"You feel so good, so tight..." Kiba moaned. Kaoru brought his face to hers and kissed him, moaning in his mouth. Having sex felt so good, having Kiba inside her pleasuring her body from head to toe, it was so wonderful. She wished she could stay like this forever.

Something started to form inside her, like she was about to burst, Kiba nibbed her neck hard.

"Kaoru-chan... I'm not gonna last long... I'm gonna-", he couldn't speak anything else as he came right away, beneath him he could feel the girl tremble and she moaned loud, when she orgasmed, scratching his back harshly.

Kiba was in shock, he couldn't believe what he just heard. He looked down at Kaoru, and she smiled warmly to him, lifting her head and kissing the boy.

_'She didn't notice it...'_

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><p>After leaving Kiba and Kaoru in the hospital waitting room, Kankuro went with Sakura to her small office within the establishment.<p>

"Kankuro-san, I'm sure you know that this information is confidential, even with your brother's approval, it's better for Kaoru-san not to know you have this." Sakura said giving the puppeteer Kaoru's medical file.

"I know. I will not tell her. I just want to know about her seals." Kankuro replied opening the files.

"Those cuts she had in her back... She had more scars underneath it. Tsunade-shisho said that some had years."

"Years?" Kankuro closed his eyes and breath deep, "Sakura, don't worry, I'm gonna find who did that."

Kankuro spoke a little bit more with Sakura about Kaoru's condition, and then left. Realizing that Kiba and Kaoru were long gone, he went to Kiba's place to pack for the next day. The day they were heading back to Suna. He couldn't wait for that. Suna was his home after all, and knowing that in Suna he would not see Kiba and Kaoru together was wonderful.

The two absent shinobis stayed out until night, when they came after dinner. Kankuro tried not to look pissed off, but it was harder than he thought.

He sat in the bed leaning against the headboard. Watching Kaoru packing for the next day, the girl had a weird smile in her face.

"Are you ok?" Kankuro asked, "You have a weird smile on your face."

Kaoru looked at the puppeteer, and kept smiling.

"I'm just happy, and sad at the same time." she closed her bag, and move to the bed she sat next to Kankuro.

"I never thought that Konoha was so amazing. It's so different from home." she said looking at Kankuro.

"Yeah, I know. Here everybody is happy, it's almost like they have no problems."

"Exactly." Kaoru smiled even more. It was a sad smile though. Kankuro pulled her into a hug.

"Don't worry, maybe I can convince Gaara for you to come back soon." he had no idea why he had said that, it pained him to see her with Kiba, but he just wanted her to be happy. Kaoru hugged him back.

"Thank you Kankuro-kun."

A cough was heard at the door. The sand nins broke the hug. It was Kiba at the door.

"Come Kaoru-chan it's our last night together, let's make the best of it." he said. While Kaoru was exiting the room, Kiba glared Kankuro with all his hate. Kankuro noticed it and frowned.

_'What the fuck is wrong with him?'_

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><p>Next day, the three shinobis were at the gate. Kaoru hugged Akamaru tightly, how much she loved that dog. The dog licked her bare hand, in return.<p>

Then she kissed Kiba goodbye, which made Kankuro turn his head away.

"I'll try to comeback as soon as possible." she said hugging the boy.

"Ok, have a safe trip!" Kiba said, watching the two shinobis walking away. His face showing the deepest sickness he ever felt.

"Let's go home, Akamaru..."

**To be continued...**


	16. Return to hell

**Disclaimer** - I do NOT own Naruto or any Naruto Character.

(WARNING-RATED M- This chapter will contain sexual references and physical abuse. If you are sensible to these kind of things than don't read it!)

A/N - Fixed some mistakes.

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><p>Chapter 16 - <em><strong>Return to hell<strong>_

The journey to return to Sunagakure no sato, was by far different from when the two sand nins went to Konoha. Instead of running and being there as fast as they could, they walked. It wasn't like they were late or anything, so they took their time travelling back home.

Everything seemed so light compared to when they came to the leaf village. Kaoru noticed how everything changed in her life, in less than a month. As they walked through the Hi no Kuni's forest, Kankuro spoke.

"Last time we passed through this place, you were a total bitch to me." he said laughting. Kaoru smiled too.

"Give me a break, I was in pain and hungry." she replied.

"You could have told me that you were hungry, I would have paid for food for you." Kankuro said glancing the kunoichi.

"It was complicated..." she paused, the continued, "Kankuro-kun, I know you paid the hospital bill." she said looking at the floor. Kankuro blushed a bit.

"It's normal I'm your superior, well I was your superior, don't wor-"

"Don't say to not worry about it. Because I do, I'm not a selfish person, and I don't like to be so dependent of someone. I just... wished that one time in my life I could do things by myself. So that's why I'm gonna pay you back the money you spent with the hospital bill, just don't tell my father about that. I want to do it by myself." Kaoru said.

"You don't have to worry about that, and I mean it. I paid for your bill, because I wanted to. It was not out of pitty if that's what you think. I know your family has many possessions, it's not like your poor." Kankuro said. Kaoru's heart twitched inside her.

_'If only you knew the truth...'_

"And I'm sure that if Gaara knew about me paying, he would agree with me, and he would probably order you to forget about the bill." Kankuro said smilling, he put an arm around Kaoru's shoulders, "That's what... friends do right?"

_'Friends?'_, if there was something that Kaoru wasn't expecting from the puppeteers, it was that word, friends. Kaoru couldn't help but smile. Kankuro was her friend, suddenly going back to Suna wasn't so bad. She wouldn't be alone after all. Maybe she could even hide her friendship with Kankuro from her father, and have a secret friendship with him.

That night Kankuro let Kaoru sleep, while he stayed in watch. He didn't like to sleep outdoors, and the fact that the girl was sleeping with her head leaning against his arm was worth the lack of sleep.

The puppeteer felt like there was still so many things wrong with the girl, but the more time he spent with her, the more he realized that she was just as human as he was. The perfect Kaoru he always knew, was nothing but an image he constructed around the girl. She wasn't perfect at all, with everything she had been through, the psychological issues (OCD) she had, all those things were the opposite of her _perfection_. But for the puppeteer, that only made her more beautiful, he imperfections made her perfect.

The next day, Kaoru felt restless. Even thought she knew she had someone in Suna she could count on, the thought she would face her father again, was painful. How much she wanted to stay in Konoha with Kiba, where there were no problems.

Kankuro noticed the restlessness.

"Are you ok?" he asked. Kaoru nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just miss Kiba-kun that's all." it wasn't exactly the answer Kankuro wanted to hear, but he forcefully made a small smille._ 'Anything for Kaoru.'_

"How's your situation, I mean are you like...officially dating or something?", he asked trying not to sound too interested.

"Well, we never talked about it, but he said once that I was his girl... and the things we did, I think it made everything official." Kaoru said blushing madly.

_'Things they made?'_

Kankuro's heart stopped for a moment, they went that far?

"You guys... did.. hmm had... sex?", Kankuro asked. He didn't wanted to hear the answer, he really didn't. It would destroy him completly, like it destroyed him when Kiba told him that he had... "played" with her, but still he waited impatiently for the answer.

Kaoru blushed bright red, and nodded. Kankuro didn't say anything, and that made Kaoru feel uneasy.

"Does that make me a whore?" Kaoru asked. In what came to matters like sex and boyfriends, she was so naive.

"No it doesn't. If you like him it doesn't." Kankuro replied. He never saw the purple haired kunoichi as a whore, she was the last person in the world that could be compared to a whore.

"I really like him. He was my first..." Kaoru stopped talking lost in her own thoughts. If her father knew about Kiba, she was screwed. Even Kiba was in danger, the monster could use his diplomatic status to do something terrible to the dog-boy.

"Kankuro-kun don't tell anyone in the village about Kiba-kun, ok?"

The puppeteer agreed. Even with the peace treaty Suna still had an antique vision, and a female kunoichi being with an outer shinobi could look bad. Not only that but Kankuro wanted to distance himself as much as he could about Kaoru and Kiba's relationship.

Even though they walked the whole time, the journey to Suna seemed faster that it was before. Has they reached the desert they started to run, it was not pleasant to be in the desert. This time Kaoru ran next to Kankuro with no difficulties. Kankuro was an amazing runner in the desert, but Kaoru could keep up with him easily. When they were almost nearby the village Kaoru stopped. Kankuro saw the girl, and stopped too.

The girl opened her backpack and searched for something.

"What is it?" the puppeteer asked.

"In two hours we arrive. I have to get ready."

"Ready?" the puppet master asked, then he saw Kaoru taking off her gloves from her bag. She put them on.  
>Then she braid her hair, trying to make it as neatly as she could. In less than five minutes, the old Kaoru was back.<p>

"Why are doing that? I thought yo-"

"This is not Konoha, Kankuro-kun. Here I have to keep my image, like you do yourself." Kaoru got that right.  
>Kankuro wasn't as mean as he made himself look like. But in Suna looking scary was something good, people would respect him better like that. They ran again, and after a couple of hours they finally arrived at the Hidden Village of the Sand.<p>

* * *

><p>The familiar smell of the village wasn't as good as Kaoru expected. Maybe because she was in a such a nice village before, the kunoichi thought that maybe Suna wouldn't look so bad. How wrong she was...<p>

The anxiety level of her body, was at the peak. It was almost like she had an huge bubble in her chest that prevented her from breathing well.

Kaoru followed Kankuro through the Kazekage's mansion. As he walked through the hall, the shinobis around let him pass and bowed to him. All the horrible things Kaoru said to the puppeteer in the past, she knew that they were all lies. Kankuro was someone important in the village, and he was very respected.

The puppeteer knocked the Kazekage's door.

"It's me Gaara, I'm gonna enter." and so he did, letting the door opened for Kaoru to enter too.

The girl bowed to the red-hair.

"Kazekage-sama." she greated.

"You're back. I heard the mission was a failure." Gaara said. Kaoru was pretty sure he was only talking to Kankuro.

"Yeah, but it was their failure." Kankuro said with his casual tone. Gaara eye's went from Kankuro to Kaoru.

"About that incident, are you better?" he asked the girl.

"Yes, Kazekage-sama, the Hokage herself treated me." Kaoru politly replied. Kankuro smirked, she was cute when was so polite.

"Well then-"

A knock on the door cut Gaara.

"Come in."

"Kazekage-sama, I'm sorry to interrupt you but I have some documents to give you..." Kaoru froze when she heard the manly voice. Her lungs stopped her breathing, and her heart beat hard, so hard it hurt. She didn't felt prepared to face that man yet. It was too soon. She took a big deep breath and turned around.

The blond man, with the cold blue eyes looked at her. He didn't seemed surprised to see her, but he pretended anyway.

"Oh Kaoru you are back!" he said with an obvious fake smile. Kaoru gave a small fake smile too, and bowed her head.

"Yes, father." she couldn't look at him in the eyes. The last time Kaoru saw him, he had stabbed her. Knowing his daughter was going to another country far away, in a special mission for the Kazekage, he had seriously injured her and didn't even give her enough money to survive more than a few days.

Her father advanced and stood by her side, then he looked at the puppeteer.

"Kankuro-dono is good to see you again, I hope_ my _Kaoru didn't give you any trouble." her father said with a terrible fake attitude, though only the kunoichi knew it was fake. She was the only person, that knew the real man he was.

"Not at all, Kurokaze-sama, she's amazing." he said. Kaoru blushed a bit, she hoped her father wouldn't take that in a wrong way.

"Even though" the puppeteer continued, "I think she looks better with her hair loose."

Kaoru's mind was in chaos. What the hell was the puppeteer thinking saying those things to her father. She was so screwed, her father was now going to beat her for sure. Her father didn't said anything. Kaoru just looked at the floor, she was trying not to burst in tears.

"Here's the payment for the mission, even if it was canceled, you both receive the promissed." Gaara gave an envelop to Kankuro and other to Kaoru. Kaoru knew that she wouldn't keep that envelop full of money, her father would take it all from her.

Her father gave Gaara the documents he was supposed to give. And after some burocratic crap, the Kazekage dismissed the kunoichi and her father.

"You have the next couple of days off to rest, Kaoru-san. You can go now." Gaara said.

"Thank you Kazekage-sama." Kaoru bowed to her leader than to Kankuro, "You too, Kankuro-dono."

Kankuro smiled and responded.

"I told you to quit with the -dono thing." he said, than he did the worst thing he could ever done. He kissed her head. Kaoru was now beyond alarmed. Her father just saw Kankuro kissing her, a guy kissing her head. Kaoru wasn't sure if she was going to bare what expecting her as soon as she got home.

Kankuro noticed the girl's face turned pale the moment he kissed her. Something was wrong with her, she didn't look at him, not even once in that office. Her eyes were filled with something he couldn't describe. Kankuro was good at finding what was behind someone's eyes but this time he was compeltly lost. Kaoru was fine several minutes before, why she was... Several minutes before... Kankuro looked at her father. Maybe he shouldn't kiss his daughter in front of him, but still it was an innocent kiss on the head. But, even if she was embarressed by that kiss... Kaoru looked now so scared, that was it... she was scared, that was the hidden emotion behind her eyes.

Kankuro watched as the girl and her father left the office. He had a bad feeling.

* * *

><p>Kaoru walked silently next to her father when going home. While walking, people greeted her father with big smiles and kind words, as usual for them that man was a saint. If only she could ran away. If only she could go back to Konoha and stay there with Kiba forever... But if she ranaway, her father would definitly make her a missing-nin, and not even Konoha would be a refuge for her. And what a kunoichi with her chackra capabilities limited by her seals could do to survive in a world where shinobis were sent to hunt her because she had deserted her village? There was no escape from this inferno.<p>

Soon both father an daughter arrived into their house. The man opened the door, an they both entered. Kyo, Kaoru's stepmother came to greet her husband, but stopped halfway when she saw Kaoru was there too. The older woman glared daggers to the kunoichi and Kaoru looked away. Glaring back would only make her father more mad.

"Kaoru I believe you have something for me." her father said. Kaoru nodded and gave him the envelop with the money she had earned from the mission. The man counted the money, Kaoru somehow hoped that he would be pleased with the amount of money that there was in there, and forgot about what happened with Kankuro. Her father looked at her and smirked.

"You actually made quite a fortune in that mission , good job Kaoru."

The girl was incredulous, her father gave her a compliment? Kaoru couldn't believe what she was hearing. The man smiled kindly to her and she couldn't help but smiling a bit too.

Then, something happen so fast she didn't understood in the moment. Her stepmother had grabbed her head and throwed it against the wall. A high pitch of pain came from the kunoichi's ear, which was bleeding. Her eardrum burst. She didn't realized she was also bleeding from the head in the same side of her injured ear. The Suna forehead protector was soaked in blood in the same side.

Kaoru's vision was blurry, she felt dizzy. She could only see shadows moving. Her father's words sounded like echoes.

"I wonder what kind of services you have done to receive these much money, did you fucked the Kazekage's brother?" Kaoru's vision, didn't permit the kunoichi seeing an incoming kick into her stomach. Kaoru screamed in pain. Then her father grabbed her by her hair.

"He said he liked your hair loose, I wonder what else he saw from you you filthy whore."

Kaoru was being dragged still by her hair through the house. She tried to stand up but she had no balance, because of her rupted eardrum. The man threw the kunoichi into her room, harshly on the floor. Then he spoke.

"Don't think I'm done with you, you little slut, you have no idea what I'm gonna do to you..."

**To be continued...**


	17. Torture

**Disclaimer** - I do NOT own Naruto or any Naruto Character.

A/N - Fixed some mistakes. Gomen if there's still some!

(WARNING- GRAPHIC VIOLENCE.)

* * *

><p>Chapter 17 - <em><strong>Torture<strong>_

Kaoru hit the floor pretty badly. Thankfully she still had her backpack and that prevented the fall from being worse.

"Don't think I'm done with you, you little slut, you have no idea what I'm gonna do to you..." her father left the room and closed the door.

Kaoru stood in the floor. With her glove she cleaned the blood falling in her eye. Her head hurt really bad, but not as bad as her ear. The kunoichi took of her bag and then she noticed... her room was empty. The bed was gone and her small vanity too. The few items she had were trashed on the floor. In the space where her bed was, was what seemed to be a small futon.

_'They took my furniture'_

Kaoru crawled into the opposite wall from the door, and embraced herself. Her knees next to her chest. Tears felt, mixing with the blood. She wanted to blame this whole thing on someone.

_'If Kankuro didn't kiss me..._

_But it's not his fault, he didn't knew..._

_It's my fault, I shouldn't be friends with him_

_I shouldn't, I shouldn't, I shouldn't!'_

The door opened again, her father came with a couple of scrolls in his hands. Kaoru knew very well what does scrolls were. She trembled when she saw them. He was going to do it again... To work on her seal in the back.

The man opened the two scrolls and crossed them, after a few hand signs the scrolls glowed and sealing marks appeared on the floor. Kaoru stood as close as she could to the wall, even though she knew deep down inside it was meaningless.

"Kaoru come here." the man spoke. The girl could barely move, but even if she could she wouldn't. Her body automaticaly responded in a self-defence mode. Every inch of her body and mind wanted to stay as far as it could from that seal on the floor.

"COME HERE NOW!" he ordered the girl, but Kaoru didn't move. Disobeying her father could make him even more insane, but that pain that expected her... He moved towards her and grabbed her again by the hair like before. Kaoru tried to fight back, punching the man unsuccessfully. The man thew her on the floor right in the middle of the seal, she fell face down.

"Trying to fight back? You have become sassy, haven't you? Was it that boy was it?" he grabbed her head with one hand and the other hand grabbed her arm twisting behind her back. Karou screamed in pain, tears fell nonstop.

"P-please father..." she tried to speak.

"Please what?" the man said taking of her forehead protector. He spit on it and trowed it across the room.

"Please stop...", Kaoru cried.

"Why would I stop when I can work on you?" The man grabbed a long kunai he had hidden underneath his clothes and started to cut her vest taking it off. He pinned her hands above her head on the floor and stabbed them with a kunai so she couldn't escape, Kaoru's screams were now louder than ever, if the walls of the house weren't soundproof the whole neighborhood would hear it.

"Stop that noise!", he said pushing her hair. As much as Kaoru wanted to stop she couldn't, the sobbing sounds came out of her without her control. She just wished her father could hit her on the head so bad she would blackout. But she knew that would never happen, her father made always on purpose to make sure she was conscious to feel everything.

For someone who was beaten almost all her life, she should be used to this kind of torture this kind of pain, but in reality each time was even worse than before. Kaoru had won a great tolerance for pain, she could bare it more than a normal person, but there were limits. Even the greatest shinobi would not handle torture above a certain degree. If pain was the meaning of being alive, than Kaoru wished to die.

The fabric of her gloves was cut enough for her arms to be bare. Her seals showing. She could feel now her shirt being cut in her back.

"Now you will tell me everything that hap-", the man suddenly shut up, "What's the meaning of this?"

The man looked surpised at her back. It wasn't what he expected to see, her healed wounds. And the way they were healed caught his attention.

"Are these stitch marks?" the man asked passing his hand on top of it. Kaoru didn't say anything, her father somehow started to panick.

"Who did this?" he asked the girl."WHO DID THIS?"

He cut the middle of her back, right were the seals connected. Kaoru could feel the blood sliding from her back into the front.

"WAS IT THE KAZEKAGE'S BROTHER?" he interrogated mutilating randomly her back. As much as the kunoichi wanted not to scream it was impossible.

"NO!" she screamed.

"Does he know?" Kaoru replied No, if he knew Kankuro knew about it, he probably would find a way to kill him. He was a psychopath. The man started to cut through the sealings in her arms, "WHO HEALED YOU?"

"A ra-random low genin... I-I ahhh... I told her it was from a mission, no one knows...please stop." Kaoru couldn't handle it anymore. There was so much blood on the floor. Maybe she would die from the blood lost. The thought sound so marvelous in her head, but the image of Kiba appeared in her mind. The good moments she spent with him, and there was also Kankuro.

_'That's what... friends do right?'_

Kankuro's words...

_'Friends...'_

*Flashback*

"Kaoru-chan why do you always play with me?"

"Because it's what friends do, right Kuro-kun?"

*End flashback*

Kaoru cried even more thinking about it. The lost memories she had locked inside her mind. Her body begged for death, but her mind couldn't, she couldn't leave them, her lover and her... friend.

"LIAR!" the yell from the man awoke her fainted state. "I can feel your chackra when you're lying! WHO HEALED YOU? IT WAS HIM, WASN'T?", the man took of the kunai pinning her hands and turned Kaoru around so she was facing him, her bloody back on the floor. He pulled her shirt up, showing the seal on her stomach. He smirked.

"You think you can stay silent? I just broke the seals that prevent from others to use chackra on you." he passed his hand slowy through her summoning seal, "You will tell me everything right after you start to feel your inside's boiling."

Kaoru's eyes widen in despair. Her father had put a seal on her stomach a couple of years ago, it was to summon a Katon (fire style) jutsu inside her, he always threatned the girl that he would activate the jutsu if she tried to escape. That was the main reason, she always bared with the whole suffering. It was impossible to escape her father. The man hold the key in his own body.

He took of his shirt showing in his chest a small hand size seal, if he activated it with chackra and blood the summoning seal on Kaoru's stomach would react immediatly. So the man didn't even had to be nearby Kaoru to make it work.

The man stood up and smirked. Kaoru tried to move but she couldn't, the grand circle on the floor drained slowly her chackra numbing her pressure points. It was a personalized seal that would only drain Kaoru's chackra.

The man bit his thumb, and made hand signs. Kaoru screamed for the man to stop. She wasn't to say anything about who knew her previous wounded seals, but she didn't wanted to die.

She saw the man's lips moving... "Katon: Hi no..."

_'Please someone save me..._

_Kiba-kun... Kankuro-kun..._

_Kankuro please'_

The girl screamed with full lungs. The burning inside her was behind unbarable. Reasonable thought was long lost... The light in her eyes was gone, the sounds around her disappeared, she could only hear the miserable screams of a woman. Herself...

* * *

><p>Kankuro watched as the girl and her father leaving the office. He had a bad feeling, as if something was escaping from his fingers. The puppeteer turned to his brother. The younger boy was looking at him, as if he wanted to ask something. The older brother frowned.<p>

"What?", he asked Gaara.

"I see your relationship with Kaoru-san improved." Gaara said, clearly refering to that kiss the puppeteer gave to the girl.

"What relationship? We are just friends..." Kankuro said puting his scrolls and bag next to the wall.

"Friends is a good thing, I'm glad I put you two in the same mission." Gaara spoke, Kankuro could swear he saw a little smile in his brother's face.

"Whatever... Did you get what I asked you?" Kankuro said changing subject.

"Yes, but it wasn't as easy as you think to get these without no one noticing." Gaara said giving some scrolls and files that he kept in his desk's drawer.

"I knew you could do it. You're the Kazekage after all." Kankuro said sitting in the couch Gaara had in the corner of the office. He unscrolled one of the scrolls and started to read it.

"Aren't you going home? You also have a couple of days off." Gaara said.

"I'm just gonna give a quick glance at this." Kankuro read the first scroll, it was about Kaoru's personal information. Nothing out of normal. Then he opened one of the files, and a picture fell, his eyes widen. It was a woman dead in the morgue's table, the woman had the same colour of hair as Kaoru.

"What's this?" he asked himself, knowing perfectly it was the file about the kunoichi's mother death.

Gaara across the room, saw the file Kankuro held in his hands.

"That was the most problematic file to get.", the Kazekage said. He saw his brother carefully reading every single line of that document. It was strange, he wasn't used to see the puppeteer so interested in someone besides himself.

"Why this says that Kaoru's mother death was inconclusive? Didn't she killed herself?", Kankuro asked. Gaara thought for a moment his answer, he had read the file too before Kankuro.

"Her husband had said he found her dead at home, she had performed a suicide jutsu, but the coroner thought differently. He had found a strange seal in the body and thought about homicide. However two days later the coroner was executed for treason, it seemed he was selling national information to other countries, so his word wasn't considerated reliable."

"A strange seal?" Kankuro asked.

"Yes, there's a picture in there with the seal."

Kankuro turned the pages until he found out the picture, and he couldn't believe what he saw. The photo showed a familiar seal in the woman's stomach. Kankuro stood up quickly and searched in his bag, for Kaoru's medical file that Sakura gave him in Konoha. He found it and open it, he looked for the piece of papper which Sakura had copied the seal Kaoru had in her stomach. He compared it with the dead woman's photo, and he gasped.

Gaara stood up and move towards the puppeteer. He saw the two images.

"What's that?" he asked.

"Kaoru has this seal in her stomach. It's a summoning seal. It's the same that her mother had also in the same place." Kankuro frowned, "The autopsy said her mother died from the seal...", Kankuro grabbed the file and read loud, "_The seal summoned a Katon Jutsu inside the subject's body. The jutsu caused the death, boiling the organs and flesh, and evaporating the blood and water in the system._ This is bullshit, who would kill themself in this horrible way?"

"Maybe it wasn't suicide after all. Someone might put the seal on her, and then ignited it. However there was no psysical proofs of that. Summoning seals normally are opened with chackra or blood, and there was nothing in there. The body was untouched."

"Damn, Kaoru had the same seal... at least she's safe." Kankuro reminded himself loud.

"She's safe?"

"Yes, no one can use chackra against her. She has seals on herself that prevent from others to use chackra on her or against her."

"Against her? That's impossible. At least has to have a limited usage."

"Yeah, I think it's in a radius of 3 meters.", Kankuro said.

"What if the attacker is farther than 3 meters? What if someone can turn on the summoning jutsu from distance?" Gaara asked like he was proving a point.

"No one can do that, it's too difficult.", Kankuro said frowning.

"Not even for an expert in seals?" Gaara asked. Now Kankuro knew Gaara was trying to say something.

"Are you thinking in someone in particular?" the puppeteer knew who Gaara was refering to, but he wanted to hear him say it.

"Yes, and you know who I'm talking about..."

"But her father... is an alright guy, right? He's a hero..." Kankuro frowned, thinking about everything. All the events of the past weeks flashing through his eyes, everything coming together like pieces of puzzle, "She has being tortured for several years. Her body is mostly covered by seals, her back had seals cut in to the skin, impossible for her to reach."

Gaara was shocked hearing what his brother was revealing, but his face kept looking normal as always, only a small glint of anger was in his eyes.

"Her father is an expert in seals." he spoke. Kankuro nodded.

"She begged me to not tell her father several times, to not inform him about her accident." Kankuro said, he continued, "She was scared he would know someone knew about what he did."

"In his file, it showed that he had an accident in a mission, where most of his team died. The previous Kazekage... our father made a confidential report saying Kurokaze was in no psychological conditions to be outdoors. He removed him from shinobi duties and his wife took responsability to take care of him." Gaara said.

"I heard that. He got better when his wife died, Kaoru's mother died. Some said he got better because he was raising Kaoru alone and that gave him a sense of purpose."

"He didn't raise Kaoru-san alone. He re-married less than a year after." Gaara looked straight forward to his brother, "Kankuro I think our father covered it all, it is a fact that he killed his wife. It's obvious."

Kankuro stood there without knowing what to think. Gaara put an hand on his brother shoulder. Kankuro looked at his brother in disbelief, that kind of affection wasn't something Gaara usually did.

"Gaara... I'm so stupid... when we were young... she was always with me, and when her mother died, she stopped talking to me... and now in Konoha... the signs were all there and I..."

"It's not your fault."

"But I was the only person she had closest to a friend..."

"You didn't do anything to triguer her father's madness." suddenly Gaara's eyes widen.

"What?" Kankuro asked afraid of what his brother realized.

"You kissed her and in front of her father..."

Kankuro's heart fell on the floor. He remembered the reaction the girl had, she acted politly towards him, like they were mere fellow shinobis. She was scared. The bad feeling he had when they both left. That scared look in her eyes. She was completly afraid.

"Fuck." Kankuro grabbed one of his scrolls and ran away from the office.

"Kankuro wait!" Gaara said, he knew where his brother was going, but it could be too dangerous.

Kankuro ran as much as he could, it was all his fault, he tried to find who hurt the girl and he ended up feeding the wolf.

He ran as fast as he could hoping it was not too late...

**To be continued...**


	18. Saint, savior, salvation

**Disclaimer** - I do NOT own Naruto or any Naruto Character.

A/N - Fixed some mistakes. Gomen if there's still some!

A/N 2 - Savior, saint, salvation is a song by Bleeding Through (which I don't own -.-)

(Warning! This will cntain BLOOD and Violence!)

* * *

><p>Chapter 18 - <em><strong>Savior, saint, salvation<strong>___

Kankuro stood in front of Kaoru's house. A million thoughts mindlessly ran in his brain. The thought of killing the man as soon as he saw him persisted. Though, he knew he couldn't let his guard down. If he stood nearby Kaoru his power would be useless, he wouldn't be able to use Sasori.

The Jonin unscrolled his puppet, as long as he stood 3 meters away from the girl, everything would be fine. Maybe he could even trap her father in those 3 meters. That was a good plan.

Kankuro knocked the door. He had to speak to the man before hurting him, Kurokaze was an importaant person in the village, so the puppet master could only attack in self-defence.

No one answered, but Kankuro kept knocking. The idea of no one being at home, crossed his mind, but soon he started to sense a terrible chackra release inside. Kankuro pounded the door with his fist, but still no answer. Taking his impatient nature as a virtue, Kankuro blowed the door with Sasori. As the smoke faded away, the puppeteer carefully entered the house.

He heard screams coming from one of the rooms, Kaoru's screams. The sound was terrifying. He rushed to the room and kicked the door open, and the sight he had was worst than a nightmare. Kaoru was on the floor covered in blood, in the middle of a gigantic seal. The seal on her stomach was partially empty. Kankuro was too late, the seal was already activated. The girl screamed in pain.

"Look what you made me do, Kankuro-dono." Kaoru's father said. The moment Kankuro noticed the man, the puppeteer jumped on him with all his strength. Both men fell on the floor, Kankuro on top, punching his enemy. The older man tried to push away the younger, but he wasn't strong enough, the puppeteer was uncontrolled like a wild animal, a predator, a black panther attacking his prey. Kankuro punched the man's face several times, his gloved hand covered in blood.

Even though, Kaoru's father was badly injured he still laughted.

"Are you gonna kill me? If you do she will die too. Only I can cancel the seal. Not even my death will stop it." the man said, grinning. The man speaking caused him to get distracted, when he felt something hitting his head.  
>Kankuro fell aside, but he still was conscious. Slightly dizzy he noticed a woman hit him with some kind of metal object. He almost felt like blacking out, a dejá vu feeling came to his mind. Just like that time Sasori left him in the desert dying, that horrible feeling of falling into darkness and failing to rescue someone he loved...<p>

Kaoru screamed higher than ever, that awoke completly the puppeteer. He noticed his scorpion puppet on the floor, and with a little twitch of fingers the puppet grabbed the woman and stabbed her on the back with one of it's venomous blades, it wasn't a fatal blow but the poison would take care of her. Then he realized his chackra strings worked and he was nearby Kaoru.

"Look she's screaming alot isn't she?", the man saying ignoring his injured wife on the floor, "I think her blood is starting to boil, cooking all her organs..."

"STOP IT!" Kankuro ordered. His eyes filled with hate.

"Why would I?" the man asked grinning like a maniac.

"I will make you stop!", Kankuro said directing Sasori to the man, but then something happened his chacka strings were vanishing. The boy was incredulous, what was happening? Was it Kaoru?

"Fool, you are in my cage, see this beautiful seal you are sitting on?", the man spoke, Kankuro notice that he was indeed in the huge circle, "I command anything that happens inside. I use this circle to work on Kaoru. It numbs her, and drains her chackra. However I can change that, and I can make it drain YOUR chackra."

"Why do you do this? She's your daughter!" Kankuro yelled, Kaoru's screams next to him almost muffled his own voice.

"You said you like her hair loose... do you like that color?" he asked the puppeteer. The older man seemed thoughtful like his was remembering the past.

"I do... That's why I wear it in my face."

The older man chuckled.

"I fell for her mother because of her hair. The same shade of purple. I did everything I could for her, and then she betrayed me. She cheated on me that whore!"

"Is that why you killed her?" Kankuro asked with rage.

"No... I put that seal on her stomach. To control her. But then I met Kyo, over there. And she convinced me to sell Kaoru to a slave trader. Kaoru was pretty young and she was worth a lot of money, but her mother found out and threatned to tell the Kazekage, your father. We were good friends, but he wouldn't allowed such a thing."

The man paced towards the older woman lying on the floor, she was coughting blood, the poison was working. Then he continued.

"Of course as a mother she wanted to save her daughter, but that day she was so annoying. I just... got carried away with the jutsu. She died in less than two hours."

"Why would you sell your daughter?"

"For income of course."

"YOU KILL YOUR WIFE FOR MONEY?" Kankuro was speechless. It was such a low reason. To kill the person you are supposed to love for money.

"Kankuro-dono, you are young and naive. Money is the true power in this world. That bitch made me kill her and I couldn't sell Kaoru because it would sound suspicious. But since then, Kaoru is paying her freedom, even though she doesn't know why."

"Stop the jutsu now. Kaoru doesn't deserve it...I will you hunt you forever, if she dies." Kankuro said.

"Oh I think you got this wrong. You are gonna die, along with Kaoru." the man said amused.

"And you think you can run from this? I'm the Kazekage's brother-"

"You _will be_ a betrayer. You attacked my house and poisoned my wife. Then you were about to rape my daughter but she couldn't bare it so she decided to commit suicide just like her mother. And I, in pure vengeance killed you." the man laught.

Kankuro was horrified. He tried to get up but he felt weak, his chackra was being drained in a fast rate. Was he really going to die along Kaoru? Plus he would be blamed for her death? The girl's screams and sobs pierced his body, he tried to reach her, crawling towards her...

The older man amused started to make handseals.

"NOW DIE!" the man yelled. When he was about to perform the last handseal his arms stopped. Sand was warpping around his arms. Kankuro looked at the man struggling against the sand in his arms, then at the room's entrance, Gaara was there along with Baki and a few shinobis. The puppeteer recognized the jutsu Gaara was about to perform, the Sand Coffin.

"NO! GAARA, he's the only one that can stop the jutsu." he said grabbing Kaoru. He was weak but it didn't matter, he only wanted to grab the screaming girl in his arms. There was so much blood.

"Stop the jutsu." Gaara ordered the man who was laughting,"If you won't I'll make you.", Gaara said with a even colder tone that his brother before. The man screamed when the sand wrapped around his feet and broke one foot at the time.

While Gaara tortured the man, Kankuro hold tightly the poor girl on his arms.

"Kaoru, hang on, ok? I'm here." he said trying to calm down the kunoichi. He wiped her tears and bloody face.

"Kaoru everything will be alright ok? I'm here for you... Kaoru..." he continued holding her tightly. The girl opened her eyes and cried in pain.

"Kuro-kun... please..." Kaoru just wanted it to stop, she was going to die, the pain was just too much.

"Just hang on a bit more, everything will be ok, I promisse." Kankuro said cupping her cheek with his hand, he leaned to her and kissed her one the lips. The girl kissed back, like that kiss would fix everything, like it would take all the pain away.

"Don't die."

The girl's body was unbelievable hot. Kankuro looked at his brother while he broke every single bone of Kaoru's father's legs. Then he saw the small seal on his chest.

"Gaara the seal on his chest." he pointed out. Gaara looked carefully at the seal and glanced Baki that was next to him. They both nodded to each other and took the monstruous man out of the room.

Some of the shinobis brought by Gaara, were medical-nins, so after helping Kankuro walk out of the huge fuin on the floor, with Kaoru, they turned to the kunoichi.

"Try using chackra, her chackra seals are broken." Kankuro said. The medical nin's hands started to glowing green, and thank goodness they kept glowing. They were able to stop the bleeding successfully, but they didn't heal completly the seals because the moment they did, the seals would be whole again. And it would preclude them from using their healing jutsu's on her.

"Her body heat is too high, her organs will start to fail soon.", one of the medical shinobis said.

"CAN'T YOU DO ANYTHING?" Kankuro asked in despair.

"We can continously heal her to win some time, but there's no way to know if that will work for long.".

Kankuro ordered them to do so and got out of the room. Stumbling a couple of times on the way, he felt his body very week because of the lack of chackra. But that didn't matter, he had enough will to continue walking. Saving Kaoru was priority even if it cost his life.

* * *

><p>As he saw Gaara and Baki in the living room floor, around a body, the puppeteer feared the worst. Did Gaara killed the man? But as he walked in, he saw the man was alive. He was just immobilized. The Kazekage and his former sensei were studying the seal in the man's chest.<p>

"This is the key seal, that trigued Kaoru-san's fuin." Gaara said.

"If that's so, then we have to break this seal." Baki said. Kaoru's father laughted, resulting in everybody in the room glaring.

"Ignorants... Only I can undo the jutsu, and that will never happen. It won't matter anyway she will die very soon."

Kankuro clench his fists. It was true as much as it pained him, Kaoru was dying, that miserable sealing was killing her. And only the user could stop it... Wait user?

Flashback

"I'm not even sure if there's a point doing this.", Kaoru said, regarding to the mission gave to them.

"Why do you think that?", the puppet master asked.

"Well... I don't think this jutsu can be undone. And even if it could be, the user would probably lose his life."

"Can't you do anything about it? Like trick the Death God or something."

"Trick the Death God?", Kaoru asked, with an eyebrow up. Her face clearly showing pure shock.

"For Kami's sake Kaoru was just an idea...", Kankuro said annoyed by the girl's reaction. She didn't need to react like that...

"A brilliant idea!"

"Whatev- wait what?", Kankuro was surprised.

"That's brilliant. If we could find a way to substitute the user's soul by something else, maybe we can actually do this without sacrificing someone.", she replied.

End of Flashback

Kankuro remembered the words of the kunoichi back in Konoha.

"A jutsu that can't be undone unless by the user...", he mumbled.

"How smart you are Kankuro-_dono._", the older man mocked.

_'If we could find a way to substitute the user's soul by something else'_

"What if we substitue the user?" Kankuro said. His brother and Baki looked at him surprised. The evil grin on the man's face, lying on the foor, disappeared.

"Is that even possible?" Baki asked, pondering the hyphotesis.

"I believe so. Kaoru and I researched about it in Konoha. It has a 50% chance to fail, but... she's dying..." Kankuro said.

"Ok, how shall we do it?", Gaara asked.

"First we need a new user. Which is going to be me." Kankuro said.

"No, you're low on chackra and-"

"Gaara, I WILL be the user. I have enough chackra to stop the jutsu. And this seal it's something permanent. The user will always have this power over Kaoru, and I don't trust anyone else to carry it." Kankuro said with a firm voice. Since there was no time to argue, Gaara agreed with his brother.

"Now we need the current user's chackra or blood."

"That's easy.", Gaara said literally ripping one of the man's leg with his sand. The man screams were animalistic.

Kankuro took of his black shirt, and sat on the floor.

"Now draw in me the same seal with his blood." the puppeteer said pointing at his bare chest. Baki did so.

"Since this is a transference jutsu I need you two and concentrate your chackra to estabilish a perimeter to control the transference." Kankuro said. The older man screams were so loud, they shut it up his mouth with a cloth.

"I hope this works..." with that Kankuro started to perform the transference technique. He could feel inside his chest a small weight, he could feel the other's man chackra flowing through him. It was working, Kankuro laughted. Moving the seal from the man to the puppeteer only took around 10 minutes. The old man was unsconscious on the floor, he fainted because of the pain.

Kankuro stood up to see Kaoru, he had to stop the jutsu. But the moment he got up he fell. Gaara caught him before he hit the floor. He had almost no chackra. But he still had to stop that damn jutsu. Kaoru's screams had ceased and he felt his heart sink.

_'Oh no'_

Kankuro went as fast as he could to the room where the kunoichi was, falling on the way but ignoring completly his state.

Four medical-nins were working on Kaoru. They were all panting, even them were at their limit.

"Kankuro-dono, we can't hold any longer, her body will collapse."

The Jonin knew this was it. He still had a little chackra on him, maybe it was enough for him to stop it. Deep down inside he knew that it would be him or her... He kneeled down next to Kaoru's head. He looked at the girl's face. The purple hair untied surrounding her. So shiny. The puppeteer felt the hair between his fingers... Yes... he wouldn't mind to give his life for her. The girl had an horrible life, and she never had anything or anyone. But now, she wasn't alone anymore, she had the support of the village, the Kazekage, his brother at her side to protect her, and she had... Kiba. She would be alright.

Kankuro sadly smiled, remembering all the moments he went through with the girl. Their childhood playdates, the times they competed in the academy, the times they foolishly argue over little things, when she cried on his chest in the hospital in Konoha, when she slept leaning against him in the way back to Suna, when he kissed her several moments before...

The boy leaned forward, his head upside down compared to Kaoru's. He kissed the girl's forehead.

"I love you, Kaoru."

With the rest of his strength, the puppeteer made the Tora handseal and concentrated the remaining chackra of his system, stopping slowly the jutsu. It was hard, his body ache so badly, but he persisted.

His hands slided down by themselves. His body felt completly on the floor. Darkness surrounded him. That sensation of his body rhuming into deep sleep came over him again, from distance he could hear voices.

"You did it, Kankuro-dono, it worked!"

Kankuro smiled to himself, finally he could blackout in peace, knowing he was not useless and that he saved someone he loved...

The voices went mute, and the pain stopped. It was only darkness around him...

**To be continued...**


	19. Between purple and red

**Disclaimer** - I do NOT own Naruto or any Naruto Character.

A/N - Fixed some mistakes. Gomen if there's still some!

A/N 2 - Almost ending =D

* * *

><p>Chapter 19 - <em><strong>Between purple and red<strong>_

Warm. A small kind of heat spread through the skin. It felt like a blanket, but nothing was covering the face. But still... so warm, it felt good.

Kaoru woke up, her eyes opened and watched the whitish creamy ceiling. It smelled like desinfectant, like an hospital. It didn't take long for the girl to notice she was _in_ an hospital bed. It was becoming something usual to wake up in such a place.

The warm Kaoru felt, was the sun coming from the window, iluminating the room perfectly. She looked down and saw her hands and arms covered in bandages. Her forehead was also wrapped in bandages. Strangely, the kunoichi didn't felt any pain.

She tried to focus on her last memories. Her father activated the jutsu and then she only had some flashbacks, like a dream, when we only remember parts of it. Something about sand? Blood, definitly there was a lot of blood. And then a voice... Kankuro's voice. Kaoru tried to sit down. Her muscles were a bit sored. The kunoichi tried to remember more. Why was Kankuro there? In fact why she was in the hospital? Did her father hurt so badly he had to take her there? Suddenly she remembered something else. Kankuro holding her tightly, she could feel the warm of his face against hers, his smell... He had spoken, she wasn't sure what but he spoke with her... Kaoru realized that the memories of Kankuro were real. If she was in the hospital, it was probably because the puppeteer brought her. Wait... That meant that he knew about her father?

A medical-nin passed by the room and noticed the awaken kunoichi. He immediatly went inside the room to check the girl.

"Kaoru-san, you are finally awake! How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. How long have I been in here? What happened?"

"You've been uncosncious for a week. Your body suffered a lot of stress, you shouldn't force yourself." the medical nin said taking her pulse, "We were able to cure you with chackra, but your arm seals are almost healed, so it's a matter of time for the chackra seals to be activated again."

"What about my back seal?" the girl asked. She remembered her back being mutilated but she felt no pain now.

"Your back seals are almost healed, however since part of the fuin was badly damaged, the seal is incomplete. I don't think that it can be restored."

Kaoru sighed. Somehow she was happy about it. That huge seal on her back was more of a burden than anything else. The medical nin took a few more tests and when he was about to leave Kaoru spoke.

"You could please get Kankuro-dono here?" she asked. The man looked at her with a weird and pitty expression. It scared her. Did something happened?

"I'm sorry Kaoru-san, but Kankuro-dono..." Kaoru's eyes filled with tears.

_'Oh no please no!'_

"Kankuro-dono was in severe conditions, he already was low in chackra and then he performed the jutsu to save you..."

"Oh my God... Is he...?" Kaoru felt one of the acumulating tears falling through her cheak.

"Dead? No! He was unsconcious for a couple of days. If he had use a bit more of chackra he would be though.", the medical nin said.

"You scared me now... Why did you made that face?" Kaoru was pissed, she wiped the tear with the bandaged hand.

"Because he barely could move his body the whole week and he disappeared a an hour ago. The Kazekage had ordered for no one letting him out of the hospital, and now he's gone."

Kaoru sighed on relief, but then... an alarming thought came in her mind.

"Where is my father?" she asked, the medical nin, frowned and bowed to the girl.

"Your father passed away from bloodlust."

Kaoru didn't knew what to think, she watched the medic walk away. Tears silently fell. Her father was dead, the nightmare was over. Her world changed, she would never ever feel that kind of pain again. She was free.

Kaoru laughted, laughted like she never laught before. Laughted so hard it hurt. The tears still fell, but she kept laughting, it was amazing that feeling, she couldn't describe it. The loud laughted echoed through the walls of the room.

"Damn, I think you got crazy for good!" Kaoru heard someone said. The voice came from the window, the shadow of the person entering throught the window covered the girl. She grinned.

"Kankuro-kun!", she said. The boy came inside also grinning. He was without is facepaint, his hair slightly messy, and he was strangely dressed in a grey yukata, which Kaoru recognized it to be the hospital outfit for patients. She was wearing one identical herself afterall.

"Nice outfit, fleer." the girl mocked. Kankuro laughted, it was so good to see her awaken and still able to joke with him after all that happened. The boy carefully walked towards the door and closed it, then returned to where Kaoru was. He sat in the bed facing her.

"I'm a patient, in case you don't know! I was very sick and..." Kankuro said in a dramatic way, purposly acting like a bad actor.

"Oh poor you!" Kaoru mocked laughting then she got serious, "You shouldn't be out of bed. Running away and coming through windows will not do you good."

"I just wanted to see you. Because of Gaara I can't even leave my room, I'm not even that bad, only my chackra was almost depleted.", Kankuro said, looking at the girl, then he "evily" smiled putting his hand inside the top of the yukata.

"Since I couldn't escape this damn place, I couldn't buy any, but I took these from the next room.", he took two purple flowers, more specificaly two blue bells (also known as Harebell, Campanula, they mean never ending love, gratitude and apreciation). The flowers, as expected from being where they were, weren't looking exactly neat. But he gave them to the girl anyway.

"They're not roses but they are still purple." he said smilling. Kaoru was about to give him a lecture about stealing other patient's flowers, but she felt that the boy did it with good intentions, and truthfully she liked the act.

"I love them." she said grabbing the flowers. Kankuro smiled watching the girl holding them so carefully.

Their eyes met and a silence spread through the room. It wasn't an unconfortable silence, it was a necessary silence. Both knew they would have to talk about what happened, they just had to figure out how to start talking, the best words to begin the conversation.

Kaoru noticed Kankuro making a painful face while shifting a bit. She slowly, but as fast as she could, moved to one side of the small hospital bed, and tapped the bed so Kankuro would sit next to her, against the big fluffy pillows. And he did so.

"You act all tough but you're in pain." Kaoru said while the boy adjust himself next to her.

"It's not that bad, my body is just sored. I had no idea losing so much chackra would do this."

"The medical-nin that came to see me said you performed a jutsu to save me. I don't get it... what happened?" the kunoichi finally asked. Kankuro held her bandaged hand, and Kaoru held it back.

"After that incident in Konoha, I send a letter to Gaara to gather as much as information about you and your family as possible. He did it in secrecy. I wanted to find out who was hurting you... And after we came back, I noticed how strange you acted when your father joined us. So I started to read your familie's fillers and me and Gaara realized that your mother's death was not suicide."

"It was not suicide?" the kunoichi asked shocked. All her life she believed her mother had killed herself, because she was unhappy about her life. That's what her father had told her, the subject about her mother was always taboo in their house, so they barely talked about it.

Kankuro held the girl's hand tightly, with a strong grip but still very gentle.

"No. Your father killed her, the same way he was about to kill you." the puppeteer said slowly. He knew this was a sensitive subject, and he didn't want to hurt the girl with harsh words. The puppeteer explained everything about the reasons her father did what he did. About her stepmother, about the fact he wanted to sell her as a slave when she was young, everything until...

"But how did you made him stop the jutsu?" the girl asked, she knew her father pretty well, if he would find himself in a situation that was impossible to escape, then he would get rid of everything in the most malicious way.

"Well... I remembered when we were in Konoha, when we were trying to reverse the Shiki fuin. You mentioned that maybe it could be done if the user was replaced."

"But we end up concluding it was impossible..."

"It's not." the puppeteer said opening his yukata showing his naked chest. A hand size seal was there, the same seal Kaoru's father had. Kaoru stood still watching the seal. Slowly she passed her fingers gently on top of the seal. Kankuro shivered by her touch. The girl, with the tip of her fingers traced every line, every curve, every mark of that seal. The feeling of her bare fingertips on his skin, made the puppeteer almost losing control. That amazing sensation of contact between his naked chest and her gentle fingers, sent electric vibes through his body, that ended up accumulating into a certain spot, south in his body. And being in a bed next to Kaoru was certainly not helping. The boy tried to hide his now grown arousal by bending his leg up. He needed distraction, before he would lose control and possess the girl in that very bed.

"There was no time for another option, we had to think fast...", the puppeteer said grabbing the "touchy" hand from his chest.

"But you do know it's permanent? Since my father put this summoning seal in me, I've been trying to figure out a way to take it off, but it's impossible. Only if I die, it will be gone."

"I don't mind, I don't regret it. At least you can be sure that, that seal will never be used again."

Kaoru smiled. It was strange that Kankuro had now so much power over her. He basically had her life in his hands, but curiously she wasn't afraid. Something about the puppeteer made her trust him. He was honest, very honest. Every action, every move the Jonin did was carefully thought, he wouldn't do reckless things if he didn't mean it. There was always a reason behind his actions and Kaoru knew it. So, the fact he almost died giving his life for hers must meant that he cared for her. Kaoru looked at the puppeteer carefully, her eyes traveled from his handsome paintless face, in to his semi bared chest, in to his hands holding hers, he was holding carefully not pressing in the part where the bandages wrapped.

Kaoru always thought Kankuro as a brute and rough guy, but she realized he wasn't like that at all. It was a mask he had, just like she had an emotionless mask, he had a tough guy mask. True, he might be rude and authoritarian sometimes, but he had a sweet protective side too.

"Kankuro-kun, I-" Kaoru was about to say, when she was interrupted.

"Kankuro-dono, we found you!" a medical nin entered the room abruptly, " Kazekage-sama ordered you to stay in bed!"

"I am in bed! See?" the puppeteer said ponting to the bed where both Jonins were sitting almost laying.

After some harsh discussion, between Kankuro and the medical nin, the puppeteer was convinced to leave Kaoru alone, since she needed rest. He kissed her cheak and left the room, with the medical nin giving him a sermon. Kaoru laughted, the medical nin probably didn't knew what would happen to him, after Kankuro being released from the hospital.

The kunoichi laid down completly, the purple flowers still in her hand. She smelled the flowers, despite of their "massacred" look, they still smelled really good. Kaoru wondered if Kankuro's chest, where he kept the flowers, had the same smell... She blushed bright red when she realized what she was thinking about.

Still she kept looking at those purple flowers. It would be normal if she felt confused, after all that happened. Her mother, her father, her body, her life... But she wasn't. In fact, she was completly sure of herself. Sure that the pain would never return, that unhappiness would never torment her like it did, that she would never cry again, never...

* * *

><p>"Are you sure about this?", the puppet mater asked, looking around the house.<p>

"Yes. This house is in a very coveted area. I already got informed there's a buyer interested." Kaoru answered, while packing some scrolls in a box.

"You're gonna get a fortune. But I think you do well, this house is filled with bad vibes." the puppeteer said helping the kunoichi.

"It's not just the bad vibes, I really don't like living here. I want a smaller humble place, in a normal neighborhood. By the way, thanks again for letting me stay with you until I find a place."

"No problem, we have a guest room for some reason. Temari agreed with me, that it wouldn't be good for you to sleep here." the puppeteer said.

"Yeah, Temari she's being really nice with me. She convinced Kazekage-sama for me to go visit Konoha with her."

"Yeah, I heard about that.", Kankuro replied with a sad tone. He knew it was a matter of time, before the girl went back to the dog-boy. The puppeteer was happy how much he got closer to the girl, how much their friendship increased but it was only that... friendship. And it was what she needed the most, a good friend, that would be there for her everytime she needed, no matter what happened in her life he was always going to be there for her. Supporting every decision she would made, even if it envolved other guys.

"I bet Kiba is going to be very happy to see you again." he said trying to sound confident. He turned around, his back facing Kaoru. He pretended to be occupied with something while in reality he just wanted to hide his face.

Kaoru noticed his behaviour. He always acted like this when they talked about Konoha or Kiba. She took a deep breath, she had to ask him, she had to know... like_ it _depended of the puppeteer.

"Kankuro-kun, do you love me?"

Kankuro frozed. Was he that transparent? Did he underestimasted the girl so badly about how she saw emotions that he was now caught? Suddenly fear came to him. He normally didn't fear anything, but now he was afraid of losing her. Would she stay away from him, if he said yes? She had Kiba, so if she knew about him she could distance herself from him. And after all it took to have this kind of relationship, he couldn't lose it again...

The pupeeteer turned around facing the girl and grinned.

"Of course I love you! You are my closest friend" he said avoiding her eyes.

"You love me... as a friend?" the girl asked searching for his eyes, but the boy kept avoiding her. Kaoru saw the puppeteer opening and closing his mouth a few times like he didn't knew what to say. Then he gave her a small smile.

"Yeah." he answered. Then he looked at her eyes, they stared each other in silence. Her eyes pierced through the boy, he felt like she could see through him, he had to break that staring, that silence.

"You want me to go with you to Konoha?" he asked. He immediatly kicked himself mentally for asking such a stupidity. The last thing he wanted to see was the girl with another guy. He looked like a freaking masochist.

"Sure, that would be fun!" the girl replied, turning around hiding her face.

So that's what she had to do. She had to go to Konoha. She was free now, and she could be with anyone she wanted. And it seemed faith had chosen her path. A path that she knew she wouldn't suffer. The dog-boy never hurt her, well she didn't count the _incident,_ Kiba never hurt her emotionally, never treated her bad, and never remembered her of her life. Now she could let her guard down and give everything that boy desearved. Afterall, everything that he made for her, every little romantic gesture, she couldn't ignore that.

Kaoru smiled. Kiba was going to be so surprised when he saw her, she couldn't wait.

* * *

><p>A few days later the two sand siblings plus Kaoru departed to Konohagakure no sato. The journey was very pleasant, for the first time the sealer kunoichi was happy for leaving her home village as it pleased her. She could stay out as long as she could and do whatever she wanted without worrying about anyone.<p>

Kaoru walked between the two brothers. Not only she had become close to Kankuro, but she became also close to Temari. It was nice to a have a female friend.

"Is Gaara-sama fine, without none of you there with him?" Kaoru asked.

"Honestly Kaoru, do you really think it makes a difference us being there?" Temari asked laughting.

"Temari you are in a good mood, that's creepy.", Kankuro said.

"Creepy? What the hell? Can't a girl be happy?" the blonde asked.

"Why are you so happy Temari-san?", Kaoru asked.

"She's happy because she's gonna see Shikamaru." the puppet master replied.

"Shut up, Kankuro. But... yeah that's the reason. I'm so frustated, I need some relief..." the blonde said looking at the sky with a dreamy look in her wyes.

"Yeah, sexually frustated, maybe in that way you stop being so bitchy..." Kankuro teased his sister.

"Kankuro, I told you to shut up already! At least I already got laid!"

"Temari shut up!" the puppeteer felt embarressed, now Kaoru knew that he was a virgin. It was like he was digging himself into a bigger hole, but then Kaoru lighter his mood.

"Don't say those things Temari-san, I think it's beautiful for someone to wait for the right person, and to not giving theirselves to the first person that appears in front of them." she said politly.

"He's not waiting for the right person, he never got laid because no one wants him."

Kankuro could feel his eye twitched in anger. Both siblings argued the whole trip, over everything and anything.  
>Kaoru found that amusing. It was so nice to see how they hated each other but in the same time liked. That brotherly love always presented, even between the exchange of insults.<p>

"I remember when we were all kids, and Kankuro used to come home all dirty and with his face painted and he used to say it was you the one who painted him Kaoru.", the blonde said remembering the past.

"Yeah, we used to do that when we were kids. pretending to be wild animals." Kaoru said in a nostalgic tone.

"Then you know it's your fault for him to like using that shit in his face." the fan holder said.

"Hey! I'm right here you know!" Kankuro said indigant. Kaoru just kept laughting.

Soon they arrived at Konoha, once again seeing those huge gates with the hiraganas was amazing. They were received by Shikamaru, which was weird because of how he and Temari acted so intimately. After all the burocratic stuff, they decided to go to their own way.

"I'm gonna go find an nice inn." Kankuro said.

"I don't need a room, Shikamaru told me to stay with him." Temari said, Shikamaru nodded behind her.

"I'm not sure where I'm gonna stay, I don't want to make myself a guest in Kiba's, so would you get a room for me too, Kankuro-kun?"

The puppeteer agreed and took her bag with him.

"I'm gonna go find Kiba-kun. See ya!", the purple haired girl ran towards Kiba's house. The puppeteer watched her go with a sad look at his face, that didn't escaped Shikamaru's eyes. But the genius didn't say anything, he wasn't close enough with the sand nin, to talk to him about something so personal.

* * *

><p>Kaoru ran until she got close enough to the dog-boy's house. Before moving farther she checked upon herself. She combed her hair with her fingers, making sure her bangs were in the right place. Then she adjusted her clothes. Since it was not a mission, she decided to wear something more casual, so she dressed a black kimono that went to her knees. She wanted to look nice for the boy. She took a deep breath and moved towrads the house. She took her time, calming her fast beating heart.<p>

The kunoichi entered the yard and was immediatly greeted by Akamaru. She smiled and petted the dog, but the dog was acting strangely. He lowly whimpered and tried to push the girl out of the house. Kaoru knew that Kiba was at home, because she could hear voices coming from the other side of the house.

"That's ok, Akamaru." she petted the dog a bit more, smilling, "I want to make him a surprise."

The dog whined more, when he saw the girl moving forward. She went towards the voices, walking around the house through the yard. As she walked she could hear more of the voices. It was definitly Kiba and there's was a female voice too. Kaoru recognized that voice somewhere, but she didn't knew from were.

"I-I d-don't know Kiba-kun..." the girl said.

"Oh come on Hinata, don't you trust me?", he said. Kaoru frowned. It was like having a dejá vu, then she completly frozed.

"Can I kiss you?" he asked. They didn't say anything else and Kaoru feared the worst. She moved forward and turned around the house to see the boy and the girl. Her eyes widen when she saw them, sitting in the back porch of the house, where almost two months before she bled almost till death, they were kissing. Kiba was holding her cheak with his hand and was kissing her lips.

Kaoru didn't knew what to think. Her heart felt so heavy, like someone punched in her chest.

"Kiba... -kun?" the purple haired girl asked incredulous of what she was seeing.

Kiba broke the kiss immediately and looked at Kaoru's direction. His eyes opened so much like he had just seen a ghost.

"Ka-Kaoru-chan?"

**To be continued...**


	20. The rightful choice  end

**Disclaimer** - I do NOT own Naruto or any Naruto Character.

A/N - Fixed some mistakes. Gomen if there's still some!

**A/N - Finally, final chapter! I hope you guys like it!**

(WARNING: LEMON!)

* * *

><p>Chapter 20 - <em><strong>The rightful choice<strong>_

"Ka-Kaoru-chan?" Kiba got up really quick and looked at the girl that just arrived. He could see the sadness and disappointement in her face. Her eyes started to look glossy.

Kaoru swallowed hard and held the tears back with all her strength. She stepped back and then turned around and "puffed" away as fast as she could.

"Wait Kaoru-chan!" Kiba yelled, he was about to go after but Akamaru blocked him. The dog growled at his master, clearly disapproving what his master did. Kiba felt so stupid and so surprised at the same time. He couldn't know that the girl was there. Even though, it was his fault. Kiba knew he just made the biggest mistake of his life.

Kaoru ran throught the streets of Konoha, she barely knew where she was. As much as she walked through those streets, she always end up getting lost. But this time that didn't matter, she was running to nowhere in particular. The kunoichi only felt the emeregency of getting away as far as she could.

She ran for sevreal minutes and then she collapsed against a building. Tears felt from her eyes nonstop. Tha pain inside was huge. Kaoru felt embarressed, she had give herself to Kiba, she had trusted him, her body and soul. And not even a month after being so intimate with her, he was already with someone else? She felt used. Used and stupid, for giving herself so easily. She defended the morality of only giving herself to the right person, and she failed miserably. Her father was right she was a whore. A dirty whore. He was right, he was so fucking right...

Kaoru slided on her side along the wall, curling herself, holding herself with her arms. She cried loudly. People could listen but she didn't care.

The pain would never go away. There were always going to be something awefully bad in her life, there was no reason to trick herself into false hopes or think positively about the future. Those were ideals that only made the downfall more difficult. Kaoru knew that if she didn't experience happiness, the pain wouldn't be so hard.

The walls were melting in her heart. All the strength, all the protection she had build all her life, was now completly destroyed, ripped apart.

_'Father you must be laughting at me now...'_

The tears kept falling, the kunoichi felt so pathetic, she wanted to stop crying but she couldn't, she wanted to get up, but her body didn't responded. It all ached in pain, not a physical pain but an even greater pain, a pain that came from inside her soul.

Kaoru heard a voice from distance, it seemed to call her name. But she didn't move. The voice seemed to get closer and closer.

"Kaoru-san! KAORU-SAN! Are you alright?"

Kaoru looked up and saw Sakura. She was looking worried at the sand kunoichi. Sakura kneeled down, and put an hand in the sand kunoichi's shoulder. Kaoru burst in tears again. Sakura wasn't sure what to do, but held the girl tightly. She knew the purple haired girl was severely hurt to cry like that, it scared her somehow.

"Kaoru-san, what happened?" Sakura asked. The other girl mumbled something incomprehesible but Saukra understood when she said Kiba.

"Are you here alone?" the crying girld shook her head no. Then both girl's attention got caught by a girl's voice.

"KAORU?" it was Temari with Shikamaru following her. Temari sped up, and also kneeled down, she held Kaoru tightly.

"What happened, why are you crying in the middle of the street?" the blonde asked. Sakura was about to answer, but Kaoru spoke.

"Ki-kiba... He was... He was kissing other girl." Kaoru said crying really hard against Temari's kimono. Temari exchanged glares with Shikamaru.

"Maybe we should go to somewhere more private.", he sugested. Everybody's attention was getting in to them. Shikamaru knew it was best to get out of that place quickly.

"Yeah, let's go to the inn Kankuro is." Temari and Sakura grabbed the shaky Kaoru and followed Shikamaru that was leading the way.

* * *

><p>Kankuro was sitting on the floor next to the small futon he was planing to take a nap on. He wasn't even sure why he was there in Konoha. Temari was with Shikamaru, Kaoru was with Kiba... He just accepted coming because he wasn't able to say no to Kaoru, if he knew best he would have rejected. He wasn't needed anymore, she didn't need him not in that village anyway.<p>

The puppeteer asked himself if he was still needed in Kaoru's life at all. The problems with her father were resolved, her health was good, and she had someone to hold her and kiss her... His _job_ was concluded. He fixed the kunoichi's life and now there was nothing else he could do. He should feel happy about it, Kaoru didn't desearve anymore pain after all that happen, she desearved to be with the ones that loved her and cared for her. But deep down inside, Kankuro felt sick, something around his heart made it ache everytime he breath.

He passed his hand in his brown hair, the fingers slide between the hair locks. He wasn't tired but he wanted to sleep, that's what he intended to do while he was in Konoha sleep all day, everyday.

He was about to take off his clothes, when he heard voices outside the room's door. Someone was about to open his door, he recognized the loud and harsh feminine voice of his sister.

"I can't believe what that bastard did." she said while opening the door. Kankuro saw her and then saw Sakura holding Kaoru that was crying.

_'Crying?'_

He moved towards the purple haired girl.

"What happened?" he asked trying to reach Kaoru that was holding Sakura with all her strength.

"It was that fucking mutt, he was cheating on Kaoru." Temari burst with hate.

"Temari..." Shikamaru tried to control her. The blonde shouldn't had said that to the puppeteer. The way he looked before at Kaoru and the attitude he already knew about the sand shinobi, clearly meant that the puppeteer wouldn't act reasonably. He didn't need to be a genius to know that.

"He what?" the puppeteer asked not believing what he was hearing.

"Kaoru saw him kissing another girl." Temari continued. The puppeteer stood still for a moment, watching Kaoru, she was crying so much. She was suffering so badly, he could feel her pain. Then something snapped inside him. An uncontrollable anger arose in him. He had giving Kaoru to the Inuzuka and he cheated on her? He had put his feelings aside for the girl to be happy and the brat broke her heart?

Kankuro clenched his fist. Without saying anything he put his shoes on, and without even grabbing his scrolls or his hood he got out of the room, he was going to hurt the dog boy badly, with his own hands.

"Kankuro?" Temari asked.

"Damn, I knew this was going to happen... Why did you tell him that?",Shikamaru asked.

"Why wouldn't I? If Kankuro is gonna beat him, than I'm on his side. It's what he desearves!"

"I'm not sure if it's only just beat he wants to do."

"What do you mean?" the blonde asked.

"Temari it's very clear that he has feelings for Kaoru. His eyes now when he saw her crying were pure anger. If he does something bad to Kiba, it can damaged the alliance between our villages. It doesn't look goood a sand shinobi beating a leaf shinobi. I'm gonna go after him." Shikamaru said leaving.

"Wait! What do you mean he has feelings for Kaoru?" Temari asked in vain since the shinobi was gone.

"It's true Kankuro-san likes Kaoru very much." Sakura said.

"No he doesn't" Kaoru said between sobs, "I asked him before coming to Konoha and he said no."

"Kaoru-san, he likes you, in fact I think he loves you. When you were unconscious at the hospital he stayed at your side everyday, at all time. He barely left."

"No, that was Kiba, Kiba told me that." Kaoru said.

"Kiba? No! Kiba barely appeared at the hospital. Kankuro-san was the one that stayed there all the time day and night, bringing you flowers everyday. Even the other day Ino commented that she was jealous of the girl Kankuro bought the most expensive flowers for." Sakura said.

Kaoru's tears ceased. Kiba lied that much at her? She couldn't counter argument Sakura anymore. While they were at the hospital in Suna, Kankuro also visited her everyday, running away from his room and he also brought her flowers everyday, even if he had to steal them from other patients.

"Kiba never did those things Kaoru-san, Kankuro-san himself gave me hints that he likes you." Sakura reassured her.

"Well, I don't really know much about Kankuro's love life, but me and Gaara kinda noticed that the way he acts with you it's different. He doesn't really care much about other people, however with you he was willing to die to save you." Temari said looking at the girl straight at her eyes.

"But why would he deny me then? I asked him before we came if he loved me and he just said he loved me as friends." Kaoru said trying to find sense in everything that was happening around her.

"Do you think he would say yes, knowing you had a boyfriend here? Kankuro's downfall is and will always be his pride, Kaoru. He would rather let you be happy ignoring his feelings towards you, than he openly suffering in front of you, while you are happy with another guy." Temari said convinced.

Kaoru thought for a moment about everything. She had asked him if he loved her for a reason, and the puppet master put everything upside down. Kaoru's eyes were still red from crying, but she softly smiled.

"Kankuro-kun is an idiot."

"Yeah he is." Temari smiled too.

* * *

><p>Kankuro was angry. The only times he was this angry were when the Akatsuki kidnapped his younger brother, and when he faced the psycho Kaoru had as a father. The puppeteer was mad, he barely could think. He could feel his skin heating with rage, the only think in is mind was to find the boy that trigued that, oh Kami-sama, how dead that boy was...<p>

Of course, as typical of him (and Kaoru), he couldn't find his way in the village, those damn Konoha streets were worst than a never ending maze. The streets were so long, crossing each other. And the crowded roads weren't helping either. But the puppeteer was focused in finding the way to Kiba's place no matter what.

His face changed in to a evil smirk when he found out he didn't had to go that far afterall. His prey was right in front of him, coming towards him. The dog boy looked sweaty like he was running for a while.

"Kankuro! I knew it was your smell! Do you know where Kaoru-chan is? I have to-" Kankuro cut Kiba's words with a punch straight at the jaw. Kiba fell completly on the floor, the punch was heavy, and with a little bit more of force and he would be knocked out for sure.

Kiba tried to get up but couldn't. A few seconds later he received another punch from the puppeteer. He was better in Taijutsu than the older guy but he couldn't retaliate. That first punch was completly unexpected, and the force the puppeteer used, a raw force, messed up Kiba.

Kiba tasted blood in his mouth, he tried to speak.

"Kan... kuro..."

Kankuro ignored the boy's attempt to speak, he grabbed him and pushed him roughly against a nearby wall. He pulled the Inuzuka up, till their faces were at the same height.

"You fucking bastard! I gave her to you! I fucking gave her to you! And you betray her liked that?" Kankuro yelled. His raised his fist and punched the boy once again.

Kiba was starting to panick, he supposedly could fight back. Since when Kankuro was that strong physically? Was it his anger that increased his strength? Kiba looked around trying to find Akamaru. But he wasn't there. The dog was also mad at him, for what he did, and refused to look for Kaoru with his master.

"WHY?" Kankuro asked, pushing hard Kiba against the wall, "Why did you do that? You have no idea of what she has been through these past few weeks! I ignored my own feelings for her and gave her openly to you, because I trusted you! I trusted that you would take care of her like she desearved! WHY KIBA? You told me she was the perfect girl! Why would YOU CHEAT ON THE PERFECT GIRL?" Kankuro yelled, he didn't realized but his voice was now husky, like he was almost crying. A voice filled with anger, rage and sorrow.

"Kankuro... you don't get it..."

"I don't have to get it! It's wrong what you did! She didn't desearve that.", the puppeteer kept screaming at Kiba's face.

"SHE MOANED YOUR NAME!", the younger boy burst.

"What?"

"When we had sex, she moaned your name..." Kiba said hurt, "not only once, but when we repeated at night she did it again..."

Kankuro looked at the dog boy stunned.

"My pride is hurt, Kankuro. I know I shouldn't had kiss Hinata, I didn't want for Kaoru-chan to see it. It was the worst timing ever." he looked behind the puppeteer, "I like Kaoru-chan, and I treasure every moment I spent with her, but she doesn't love me. She loves the things I did for her, the things _you_ did, Kankuro, for her and I pretended I did it myself."

"I gave her to you..." Kankuro said joylessly.

"I know, I'm sorry. I knew you love her since the first time I saw you two, you desearve her better than me. She needs someone that won't hurt her, that will always be there taking care of her doing things she likes. She desearves you, Kankuro, not me... right Kaoru-chan?" the boy said still looking behind the puppeteer.

Kankuro's eyes widen. He released the smaller boy and turned around. Kaoru was there looking at him. Temari and Sakura were at her side, and Shikamaru was getting up. It looked like he was preparing himself to use his Kagemane no Jutsu im case Kankuro didn't let Kiba go. The puppeteer hadn't realized but there was a small crowd around them, watching them.

Kiba spoke from behind him.

"I'm sorry Kaoru-chan. I just wanted to feed my ego, I was feeling a bit down... I know it was wrong-"

"That's ok, Kiba-kun. I'm sorry too." Kaoru replied with her typical polite tone. She gave a small smile to the dog boy that smiled back. Then her eyes jumped to the puppet master. They both stared at each other.

Kaoru's heart beat in an inmaginable speed. Those dark eyes looking at the hers, filled her with something warm inside.

Shikamaru waved to the dog boy and motioned for them to leave. He grabbed Temari's arm and she nodded agreeing to leave both sand nins alone. Sakura also left with a smile in her face, she went after Kiba to attend his injuries.

Both Suna shinobis stayed silent, just looking at each other. Kaoru couldn't believe that Kankuro really liked her, no... loved her. He had to love her to put aside his own selfishness just for the sake her happiness. Kaoru smiled and finally spoke.

"You lied to me."

"I did?" the puppeteer asked.

"Yes, you told me you didn't love me." she said stepping forward.

"I never said that." the puppeteer replied also moving forward.

"You said you loved me as a friend." the girl continued walking.

"And I do." the puppeteer walked too.

"Only as a friend?" the girl asked stopping in front of the boy.

"Now that's a different question.", Kankuro closed the space between them.

Kaoru smirked. It's true he never said he didn't loved her. She only assumed that because she was waiting for the straight forward answer.

"So do you love me?" she asked. Kaoru needed to hear the words from the puppeteer's mouth. It was obvious for her now that he loved her, every little thing he did was proof of that, but nothing feels better than listen the man himself telling it.

"I love you." the puppeteer said. Kaoru hugged him, burying her face in his chest. Kankuro hugged back tightly sinking his own face in the girl's hair. The smell of wild fruits was amazing, he sniffed deeply and then moved to the girl's ear. He softly kissed it and repeated, "I love you, Kaoru."

"You're an idiot, Kuro-kun." the answer from the girl wasn't quite what he expected but, that he smilled anyway. Kaoru pushed away the hug a bit, just enough to face Kankuro.

"I asked you that back at Suna for a reason. If you had told me you loved me I wouldn't come here." she said in an hurt voice tone.

"But you loved Kiba, and I thought you were happy with him and...", Kankuro frowned remembering the way Kaoru was crying before for him, "and the way you were crying for him, you still love him."

Kankuro looked down, for him it was undeyable that she ahd feelings for the dog boy. The puppeteer could love her but she didn't...

"You really are an idiot." Kaoru said, grabbing the boy's chin so he was facing her, "I was crying because I felt used. I'm not used to relationships. I gave myself to Kiba-kun because I thought he was the one. He was the first guy that told me I was pretty, that treated me like a normal girl. And I overreacted it in my mind. He looked like a knight in a shiny armor ready to rescue me from the problems of my life. He helped me escape them, that's why I really liked Kiba-kun, he made me forget for a while everything bad that was happening. However you... You made me face them. Instead of making me temporarily ranaway from the problems, you resolved them. All the time you wanted to resolve them. And you did, you saved me. I cried before, because I felt lonely and dirty, and I could only remember my father calling me a whore, that's what I felt, a whore."

"You're not a whore, Kaoru.", Kankuro said.

"I know, but I felt disappointed with myself, because I always wanted to give my self to you, I wanted you to be my knight in a shiny armor, and I only realized that when it was too late."

"It's not too late. I know what you are trying to say. You think I don't want you because you had Kiba before me? You're wrong. I want you, always had, always will." the puppeteer slided his hand in the kunoichis hair and grabbed her head.

"I want you no matter what... Do you want me?" he asked, their faces were inches apart.

Kaoru felt herself melting in those dark intense eyes. The purple paint contrasting with the darkness of those amazing orbs was breath taking. Kankuro was handsome, beautiful, strong, smart and honest. Kankuro was always there for her, always. Even in those days in the Academy where they fought all the time, he was there, even in those missions where they argued over everything he was there. All the little pieces came together, now, in Kaoru's mind.

All the times, she felt jealous when he was talking with a girl. All the times he mocked her and she mocked back, and she liked it, because he was giving her attention. Everytime that she was tortured by her father, and she mentally called his name to save her. He was always there. If not physically, he was always on her mind.  
>That night when they fought and ended up saying crap about each other, she was so hurt, she only kissed Kiba back then to make him jealous. Unsconciously she wanted to hurt Kankuro like that. But next day he didn't let her go when she was hurt by Kiba. He stayed by her side everyday...<p>

_'I only need you, we used to stay when we were young...'_

"I want you." she whispered. This was it, her heart was filled with a warm feeling. She never felt so certain of something in her entire life.

The puppeteer smiled and leaned forward. He kissed the girl. Kaoru kissed right back. Kankuro's thin lips were hot and soft, they perfectly fit Kaoru's. Their mouths completed each other, moving in sync, like they knew each other since ever. Kaoru broke the kiss and looked at the puppeteer's eyes. Her hands diving in his hair and neck.

She knew it... and she had to say it.

"I love you, Kankuro-kun. I love you."

Kankuro smiled.

"I love you too.", he said. They crashed lips again, Kaoru parted slightly her mouth, enough for Kankuro's tongue to enter. They both moaned when the two wet muscles touched each other. The tongues danced together for the pleasure of touching each other. Kaoru's small moans were the most sensual thing the male shinobi had ever heard. He held her tighter against him, tasting her.

It was getting addictive, the more they kissed, the more they wanted. it took them sometime to noticed they were in the middle of a busy street and a lot of of people were staring at them.

"Maybe we should go to somewhere more private." Kankuro suggested between kisses. Kaoru nodded and moaned an affirmative sound, and they broke the kiss.

They laught at each other noticing all the purple painted smudged in their mouths.

"It was a really wet kiss.", Kaoru teased.

"Really wet.", the puppeteer said then grabbed her head and licked her lips.

"You're nasty, Kankuro-kun", Kaoru laughted.

"And you like it.", Kankuro said grinning and pulling the girl by her hand, through the streets of Konoha.

* * *

><p>As they entered the room in the small inn they were staying, Kankuro pushed the girl against the door closing it. His mouth attacking hers, in a lustful way. His hand locked the door and then went to her back holding the the girl closer to him.<p>

He took off his shinobi shoes with his own feet, without breaking the kiss. Kaoru imitated him.

Kankuro pressed his body against the kunoichi's, pinning the girl against the door. The only sound that could be heard was the sound of heavy breathing and low moans. The puppet master's hand travelled her sides, his mouth covered her lips and cheaks with kisses. Kisses that continued along her chin and neck. Kankuro hungrily kissed and licked the girl's neck, especially after he heard her moan. Oh Kami, how much he loved those moans, he wanted more. He was blind by what was happening. He couldn't believe that this was actually happening. He was feeling her in his arms, tasting her skin, smelling her hair. Was this a dream? It felt so good, he had to stop and look at the girl just to make sure everything was real. He looked at the girl and smiled, she smiled back and she kissed him once again.

Kaoru kissed him passionatly, it felt so good and so right, she didn't mind to stay like that forever. She felt herself walking forward as the puppeteer stepped back, until they reached the futon on the floor. Kankuro sat on it and pulled Kaoru on top of him, making them laying down.

The room had the perfect mood. The sun came inside through the window but was filtered by the dark creamy curtains, that gave a cousy neutral color to the room. It iluminated the two shinobis perfectly.

They rolled aside, and Kankuro was on top. He kissed the girl's face.

"Kaoru if we keep up like this I'm not gonna be able to control myself." he said, even though he felt himself already aroused.

"And why would you want to control yourself?" Kaoru asked, then she smiled. Kankuro smiled too, but restrained himself.

"But are you sure?"

"Of course I am, I never been so sure in my entire life. I love you."

Kankuro grinned and kissed her deeply.

He sat down, and took off his black shirt, leaving his naked torso showing. Kaoru stared at his bare chest and stomach. Unlike Kiba that was lean, Kankuro was physically strong looking. Broad shoulders, well defined chest and abs, and a delicious V shaped hip line that was halfway hidden by the top of his pants. Kaoru had never seen the boy like that, and she felt a strange heat inside her, a tingling sensation that wandered through her.

The small seal marked in his chest caught her attention. She sat down an she kissed his chest right in the mark. Kankuro's heartbeat sped up. Now he was completly hard. Kaoru kissing his own skin was wondrous. He couldn't help but let a small moan out when she started to lick the seal. Kankuro couldn't hold it much more. He started to untied the obi that held Kaoru's kimono together. He took it off and opened the kimono. He blushed seeing the the lace bra the girl was wearing, that sexily combined with the rest of the underwear.

Kaoru noticed that the puppeteer was staring at her body, and she felt ashamed. She tried to cover herself with the loose kimono but Kankuro stopped her.

"No, you are so beautiful, Kaoru." he said kissing the girl's collar bone sliding off the rest of the dark fabric through her shoulders.

"But my seals and scars..."

"You're beautiful, Kaoru." Kankuro repeated looking straight at her eyes. He kissed her and layed down on top of her. Licking and nibbing her cleavege in to inside the soft fabric, he took of her bra, revealing her breasts. The boy could not resist in touching them immediately squeezing them. The kunoichi moaned, the feeling of those wonderful hands in her body, working their way, excited her.

Kaoru gasped when she felt his hands taking of her panties. Feeling a little left behind she unbutton the puppeteer's pants and slided them off, he helped and took them completly off. Kaoru smirked when she noticed the huge tent in the boy's boxers.

Kankuro layed on top of the girl and touched her wet intimate area, Kaoru moaned.

"Kuro-kun let me touch you too." she asked tugging the edge of his boxers. Kankuro took them off. Kaoru grabbed his hard member, it was thick and long. Kaoru was glad about what she had in her hand. Slowly she started to rub it, up and down. Kankuro moaned, and continued to touch her, in her most sensitive parts, keeping the girl moaning...

Kaoru sat down and pulled Kankuro down. The puppeteer laying naked in that futon, was so damn hot. His creamy skin smelled so good. Kaoru licked and nibbed his chest and abs, leaving small marks envolved in a wet trail, throught his torso. When she arrived in to those hips lines, she couldn't help herlself but licked them. (me: Seriously, go watch the anime, when Sakura is healing Kankuro. His body looks freakin' delicious! I'm obsessed with those hips!)

Kankuro started to panting feeling Kaoru so close to his throbbing member. The girl looked up at him and smile.

"I never done this before." she said and then she gave a big lick from base to tip. Kankuro moaned.

"Oh Kami, Kaoru...", the puppeteer moaned. He couldn't help but grin to the idea he was the first and only one she would ever do that with. Soon he lost his ability to think when she licked the tip.

She tasted the pre-cum and found it was not bad at all. She pleasured him with her mouth sucking and licking making Kankuro moan like he never did before.

Kankuro could feel himself go almost over the edge, it wouldn't take long for him to cum. He stopped the girl and rolled her. With his typical Kankuro brute attitude, he repayed the girl with the same coin. He kissed and licked with an intense hunger her intimate parts. He got addicted to her taste. She moaned uncontrollably, and the puppeteer loved it. He watched her as a predator would watch his prey. He ate her and made sure to not look away, he didn't wanted to miss one bit of it.

His throbbing and leaking member hurt of so much of excitement. He had to take care of it, he couldn't wait any longer.

"Kaoru I can't wait any more, I want you." he said with a pleading voice.

"I want you too."

They kissed once again, their tongues meeting halfway, licking each other. Kankuro sat down and Kaoru sat on top of him, straddling him, they hugged each other without breaking the kiss. They both adjusted themselves, he positioned his member at her entrance and slowly pushed in. They both moaned at the same time.

Kaoru couldn't believe how that big member entered her, but she didn't care, she only wanted to feel it. Kankuro thrusted inside her slowly at first. It felt so good for the shinobi, nothing like he ever felt before, he had to control himself really hard to not end it before the time...

Soon Kaoru moved at the same rhythm, meeting Kankuro's thrusts. Her moans echoed through the room. It felt so good, she never thought that sex could be so fullfilling.

As Kankuro sped up his thrusts, he couldn't stop looking at the girl. How beautiful she was, how perfect their bodies were together, in this dance of love. He knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He didn't need anyone else, just her.

Kankuro thrusted harder and harder and Kaoru could barely breath, she could feel it coming. The puppeteer too, he held himself as much as he could, and when he felt the girl shivering and arching her back moaning, "I love you Kankuro", he came. It had been overwhelming. Her scent, her voice, what she said...

Kankuro felt dizzy from such intense climax. Both sand nins stayed hugging each other, enjoying the post-climax feeling.

"I love you too Kaoru.", he said kissing her slowly, in the most gentle and romantic kiss.

They both laid down and covered themselves with the blanket. Kaoru snuggled in Kankuro's chest. She felt fullfilled. Not the same way she felt with Kiba before, but in an another level, like it was destined for them to be together.

Kaoru knew this was a new beginning for her life. Of course problems wouldn't fade away, and there were always going to appear new obstacles. But now she wasn't alone, she wouldn't have to face anything bad alone, ever. Pain wouldn't hit her so hard now. She didn't need to live scared anymore. Her life as a kunoichi, as woman, as a person, as another half... changed, and it was all thanks to the boy embracing her, to the guy she loved. Kankuro.

He smiled.

"I thought this trip was going to be the biggest shit of my life, it is the complete opposite." he kissed Kaoru's head. She looked up and smiled, the puppeteer continued, "I was planning staying here in bed all day, everyday till we got back."

"That sounds good. Staying in bed with you, all day, everyday." the purple haired girl replied, He kissed her lips, then break away.

"And I was thinking... maybe you should move from my guest room in to my bedroom." he proposed somewhat blushing. Kaoru laughted watching the big and tough shinobi getting red.

"That sounds tempting... but you have to keep your room clean or I'll freak out." she replied.

"I may not look like one, but I'm a neaty guy. Not as freaky as you though." he said rolling down, putting himself on top of Kaoru.

"Really funny, make-up-boy."

"You heard Temari, it's your fault."

"Yeah right..." she said, while the puppeteer licked her neck, "I like the color, though."

"Me too." Kankuro said clearly showing that he was ready for a second round.

"It's a nice shade of purple..."

**The End.**

**If you want to know what happened to Kiba check my other story "Make me forget". **

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><p><strong>Final author's Notes:<strong>

This story was the first story I published. And when I started it, I didn't even knew how would I end it, only when I reached around chapter 10 I decided the end. It was done by the moment, every chapter was spontaneously made according to my mood when I wrote.

About Kaoru:

I only knew I wanted to do a story about a girl that silently suffered because of her greedy father. Money is a terrible thing nowdays and I wanted to point out how materialism can destroy people's soul, in a metaphorical way.

As a result of this, Kaoru was someone that was psychologicaly traumatized. I wanted to portrait her as an extremely fake person. She rather pose as arrogant and being hated by the others, then someone knew about what was really happening in her personal life.

I also wanted to make her extremely naive when it came to love and relationships. The fact she gave herself to the first guy that showed her some sympathy and that she thought she would stay with him forever, you now that kinda thing.

Kaoru - means "Fragance", It was a good name considering Kiba was on the story and felt immediatly attracted to the girl. But it's actually an homage to the manga Rurouni Kenshin.

As final words... I wanted to thank my best friend Kaya, for explaining me about OCD.

**I hope you enjoyed, and please review! I really want to know how I did...**

Thanks =)


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